JACK Straw has called for a debate about whether Asian women should be required to speak English before they are handed a visa.

The Blackburn MP made the call at the latest 100 Voices cohesion forum in the town.

The Leader of the House of Commons told the audience: "One of the things we should be looking at is the subject of Asian women speaking English and whether we need to engage them and require them to speak English before they are given a settlement visa."

Mr Straw said he knew a family that had moved to this country in 1954 and the woman still could not speak a word of English.

And after the forum he said he was calling for a debate about the issue.

But Anjum Anwar, education officer of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, questioned why the government was cutting funding for the teaching of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL).

Mr Straw said he would be raising the issue with the Education Secretary Alan Johnson.

The discussion over speaking English centred on women because many Asian women still stay at home and therefore don't get the chance to learn English in the workplace.

Saturday's 100 Voices ideas forum - with a mix of races, ages and gender - was launched by the leadership of Blackburn with Darwen Council and first met in December.

Mr Straw's remarks came just days after Chancellor Gordon Brown called for immigrants to undertake community work before they were allowed to stay.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, who also attended the meeting, said that those Asian women who could not speak English were hampered in securing employment.

Coun Kate Hollern, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said after the meeting: "Jack is right. It's only by debating these issues that we will start to solve them."

She conceded that it was on the government's agenda to cut funding for ESOL lessons.

Between 2004 and 2005 about £279million was spent funding more than 500,000 places on ESOL courses across the country.

This was up from £170million in 2001 and 2002.

From the start of the next academic year in September the government is proposing to restrict free classes to the unemployed and those on income support.

Peer and Pendle Lib Dem councillor Tony Greaves raised the issue in the House of Lords only last week.

Lord Greaves said: "You cannot discriminate against people who might speak English before they come to the country.

"What you have to do is make a good provision for free classes in English for anybody who may not have English as a first language and wants to learn.

"The government are trying to be authoritarian while at the same time restricting the number of classes.

"People who want to live in this country would be happy to learn English if they had the facilities to do so."

Anjum Anwar said after the meeting: "Of course Jack wants everyone to learn English but the government is about to demolish funding for ESOL classes.

"It's all very well demanding something from the public but not supporting them."

Coun Yusuf Jan-Vermani, who moved to the UK in 1972 as a Ugandan refugee, said: "One minute Gordon Brown is saying immigrants should be doing community work and now Jack is saying this - it is not consistent.

"I support doing something about it because it is important that people can speak the language when they go to the doctor or go shopping.

"There is an issue with people coming from India and Pakistan, but we also have Poles not speaking English.

"They all should learn our language before they come."

Colin Rigby, leader of the Tory opposition on the council, added: "It's not a bad idea. It's essential for them to learn English.

"Otherwise it inhibits the freedom of women to get outside of the house and mix with the community, which in turn inhibits cohesion."

Lord Patel of Blackburn said: "I think it would be to their advantage but should not be made compulsory.

"After all, their children will go to school and after the second generation they will speak English."