HC Deb 15 July 1998 vol 316 cc325-45

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Jamieson.]

9.34 am
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley (South-West Surrey)

I am pleased to be able to talk about a subject that is of great interest to many hon. Members on both sides of the House: the work and prospects of the British Council. I have the privilege to be one of the council's vice-chairmen, the other being the hon. Member for Leicester, West (Ms Hewitt). The council has always had a vice-chairman from each of the major political parties, and we recently welcomed a Liberal Democrat to the board.

For more than 60 years, successive Governments have greatly valued the work of the British Council. There have been ups and downs, but that remarkable organisation has been central to Britain's presentation around the world. If Britain is to be a successful world player, Government-to-Government links and formal diplomatic relations must be complemented by people-to-people contacts and cultural relations. The country is fortunate to have two distinct strings to its overseas diplomatic bow, the mission and the British Council.

This week, copies of the annual report for 1997–98 will be distributed to hon. Members. The report sets out the purpose of the British Council, which dates back to its royal charter. That purpose is to promote a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom as a forward-looking and dynamic democracy, and to advance the use of the English language. Drawing on the country's intellectual capital and immense creativity, we reinforce its positive role in the international community through cultural, scientific, technological and educational co-operation. The British Council works with partners in the United Kingdom and overseas to build long-term relations with people and institutions in other countries. They value mutual benefit, basing their relationships on openness and excellence in all that they do. I hope that hon. Members will have time to study the annual report.

The British Council now employs nearly 5,000 staff in 230 offices in 109 countries. The English language is a major cultural asset: it is the language of business, of diplomacy and of science. English language teaching is a major British export. Many organisations teach English overseas, but the British Council is unique in being able to combine a global network of centres that teach English to the highest standards. Last year, the council taught 1.1 million class hours in its 127 teaching centres worldwide. At any one time, more than 130,000 students are learning English in those self-supporting centres.

Through the centres, the council provides a shop window for English educational excellence; but the impact of its teaching extends far beyond the classroom. Many students are the opinion formers of the future, and will go on to assume positions of influence in their own countries. Many more will visit Britain on business, on holiday, to study here or to contribute to Britain's share of the increasingly significant international education market, which is estimated to be worth £7 billion a year. It was because of concern for east Asian students that, in March, the Government—with a significant financial contribution from the British Council of £300,000—announced their one-year scholarship scheme to help students from Malaysia, Korea, Thailand and Indonesia who were suffering and whose courses were in jeopardy.

English language teaching has been vital in promoting British interests, and continues to flourish. Let me now deal, however, with another area of the British Council's activities, with which I was particularly engaged in my previous role as Secretary of State for National Heritage.

Mr. Phil Willis (Harrogate and Knaresborough)

Does the right hon. Lady agree that one of the most important things that the British Council can do for the emerging democracies is to link them with our educational qualifications and examinations system? Is that not one of the issues that the council will take up, especially in such countries as Russia? Russian qualifications need to be comparable with qualifications across the world if Russia's young people and, indeed, adults are to move into other economies and democracies to work and to live.

Mrs. Bottomley

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's comments. Qualifications provide a passport to further opportunities, and it is vital that they should be internationally recognised. As in so many other areas, the British Council's contribution provides a quality standard and an assurance of integrity. That is often valued by countries seeking to provide universally recognised qualifications and standards.

The British Council's cultural diplomacy has been influential. When I visited Japan in 1996, I discovered that the William Morris exhibition from the Victoria and Albert museum was likely to have as many visitors in Tokyo as it had in London. The same is true of the great exhibitions from the British museum. Cultural activities provide a platform for sympathetic interest in and respect for Britain. Sir Geoffrey Cass gave a splendid account of the contribution of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Tokyo in opening the doors for commerce and further profitable relationships.

Also in Japan, the festival UK 98 is a year-long programme of celebratory events, managed by the British Council and the embassy, including conferences, art exhibitions and, importantly, a focus on science education. Concentrating on science as well as the arts and English language teaching will produce further developments. Our distinguished new director, Dr. David Drewry, has a scientific background and will meet with a great deal of respect in an area in which Britain has an established position and where it will benefit from collaboration around the world.

By establishing Britain as a creative, dynamic and productive nation, we have been able to change people's traditional perceptions of our country. Much comment has been made about the "Cool Britannia" tag. If that means rubbishing the past and thinking only of the future, it is not appropriate for Britain, but the message that Britain is an exciting country with talent and creativity is important. In my previous role as Secretary of State for National Heritage, I established a committee involving the Department for National Heritage—now the Department for Culture, Media and Sport—the British Council and the British Tourist Authority. That committee is moving forward. I am pleased that the British Council is represented on the Government's new Panel 2000. If we want to present ourselves in our best light, holding on to our creativity is enormously important.

That message has been reflected in other exhibitions. At the Venice biennale, Rachel Whiteread won a Premio 2000 for best young artist. Stanley Spencer's reputation has been established in America thanks to the British Council. The royal national theatre has achieved great acclaim among the public and senior politicians in China. There are many examples of how the British Council has changed people's attitude to Britain. The hon. Member for Leicester, West may say more about the important New Images programme in Australia. She is better qualified to talk about that than I am.

On a recent visit to Hong Kong, the Foreign Affairs Committee was struck by the importance of the British Council, its impressive new accommodation, its library and its continuing significant role in the changing situation there.

Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)

I had the privilege of being on that visit to the British Council in Hong Kong. It is one of the finest operations that I have seen. I speak as a bit of a British Council addict. I was particularly impressed by the links with young people. The place was packed at half-past 5 that evening, in contrast to some of the other places that the right hon. Lady and I have visited, where we are not reaching out in the same way.

Mrs. Bottomley

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments. His support for the British Council is well recognised and appreciated. The approach of the offices is to reach as many people as possible, including the new generation. Many of the European networking programmes are trying to pick up the leaders of the future and influence them while they are still impressionable, so that they have a lasting trust and interest in Britain. We want to play a significant part in the development of nations around the world.

I spoke of Sir Geoffrey Cass's account of the RSC's contribution to promoting Britain in Tokyo and the United States. The work of the British Council has an increasing significance and impact in advancing the Government's human rights agenda. The production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" in Poland under the authoritarian regime is a reminder of the power of the arts and their role in supporting those under oppression and tyranny. We can be confident that there will be increasing emphasis on that with the appointment of our new chairman, Baroness Kennedy, who is a distinguished international lawyer.

On a recent visit to Kenya and Uganda, the Foreign Affairs Committee sub-group was impressed by the human rights work of the British Council. We met a lawyer, Mr. Juma Kiplenge, who had been under threat in Kenya. He is on Amnesty International's list of vulnerable people who need to be kept hold of. The British Council arranged for him to go on a scholarship programme to Newcastle, where the college of law has formed a long-term relationship with him and his human rights group. He now has the protection of international publicity and the support of colleagues in Britain thanks to the strategic intervention of the British Council.

The British Council is also using the Foreign Office's human rights projects fund. That is an important development. I welcome the fact that the British Council has been able to manage so many programmes, including an advocacy campaign for children—I was able to open the children's rights exhibition. The British Council has an excellent network of decision makers and opinion formers—the people from whom change will best be achieved for the development of civil society. The British Council is often pivotal.

The Foreign Affairs Committee met the Kenyan branch of the International Federation of Women's Lawyers, which promotes access to the law for women. The British Council has been involved in civic education workshops there, drawing attention to the importance of the role of Members of Parliament. The chairman of the human rights committee was able to visit a UK human rights seminar to strengthen his position on his return home. The House will recognise many areas of activity that are supported and valued.

The nature of the comprehensive spending review and uncertainty about the future have meant sensitive times for the British Council. I am pleased that this debate is taking place today, when much of the uncertainty has been brought to an end. The council is relieved that there will be a small increase in its funding over the next three years. That is a Government endorsement, although the increase is modest and the council remains stretched. With the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it will need to look strategically at priorities, focusing resources on countries and activities of most importance to British foreign policy. The fact that funding is secure for three years is undoubtedly a step forward. However, there will not be money for new work, to invest in buildings or for information technology. I hope that, in such areas, the Minister can find new sources to which the British Council can have access, so that it can play its full part in presenting Britain and promoting the human rights agenda and foreign policy objectives. Economic activities have suffered as a result of the strong pound and the Asian economic crisis, and that has put pressure on the council.

Part of the funding—grant in aid—has been moved from the Department for International Development to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which makes sense for administrative reasons. I should like the Minister to take up the cudgels on behalf of the British Council in one area. A policy change at the DFID has meant that, over the past year, there has been a 71 per cent. reduction in project work money. In 1996–97, it amounted to £84.6 million; in 1997–98, it was reduced to £24.9 million. The reduction has been widely investigated. In summary, it seems that there was knee-jerk hostility among the new regime at the DFID to the use of consultants. I ask the Minister and his colleagues to consider whether the policy can be softened. It is well understood that the donor club approach can have merits, but with such a dramatic reduction in the amount of money that goes to British Council projects, the British Council's presence and ability to intervene, particularly in Asia and in parts of Africa, will be substantially reduced.

British Council project work comes with great integrity, authority and respect. Its work is done by establishing partners in different countries. Policy is ill judged if it cannot be moderated. I do not believe that, initially, the DFID intended to have such a savage effect on the British Council. If there is no amelioration, hindsight will show that great damage has been done to the British Council's work. I contrast that with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights projects fund, which has resulted in great benefits. The British Council is determined that it will continue to work for the future within available resources, although, undoubtedly, it will continue to knock on Departments' doors. It will also continue to work more broadly with the partners that it has so successfully established.

It is only right for me to pay the warmest tribute to the two leaders who have ensured the British Council's success over the past six years. The chairman, Sir Martin Jacomb, who is to retire next month, has been a source of great wisdom, expertise and judgment in taking the British Council forward. He has been a profound believer in the need to enhance the UK's presence around the world and a very positive advocate of a partnership approach, building links with business and the wider community, as well as with Governments and the academic arts community.

Sir John Hanson, the first director general to be appointed from within the British Council, who retired earlier this year, saw the expansion of the council's presence from 133 overseas offices to 230 today. He overhauled many of the organisation's important internal workings, and was particularly involved in promoting the British arts overseas. For many other reasons, the House and the country are indebted to both those distinguished leaders. I also pay tribute to British Council staff, who move from country to country, taking their expertise, knowledge and commitment to Britain and Britain's interests around the world.

We have seen change; we shall see change again. The British Council is an institution of which we can be proud. In focusing more on science, human rights and Britain's creative role around the world, we should not lose touch with our founding principles. I welcome the fact that so many hon. Members want to contribute to today's debate. I hope that they all continue to be advocates, friends and supporters of the British Council.

9.55 am
Ms Patricia Hewitt (Leicester, West)

I congratulate the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley), my fellow vice-chair of the British Council, on securing this debate and on opening it with such an admirable summary of the British Council's extraordinary and far-ranging work. Like her, I was delighted to be invited towards the end of last year to take up the post of one of the vice-chairs.

I had the good fortune last summer, when I was in Australia, of taking part in one of the conferences attached to the New Images programme—a year-long event organised by the British Council in Australia, designed to change and modernise the attitude of Australians towards the mother country, as it used to be known, and of those in this country towards Australia. Speaking as—I believe—the only citizen of both Australia and Britain to be a Member of this House, I know that those attitudes certainly needed updating.

Research carried out by the British Council at the beginning of the New Images programme suggested that young Australians in particular saw Britain as a class-divided society; as a musty old country steeped in tradition, with serious social problems. They saw it as having weak trading relationships, and as the producer of out-of-date products. New Images, a vibrant programme not simply of conferences but of exhibitions, touring cultural projects, virtual exchanges between schoolchildren in Australia and Britain and joint projects on the internet, quite remarkably penetrated more than half the Australian population. It achieved a change in attitude and a measurable increase in the number of young Australians in particular who wanted to visit and to study in this country.

The impact was summed up by one Australian journalist, who said: Ye Olde Mother Country is undergoing a personality change so dramatic it's breathtaking—as if your old grandmother suddenly started wearing Gucci jump-suits". We clearly did not get through to him completely, because, in the light of the men's fashion exhibition this week, he should have referred to Paul Smith rather than Gucci. None the less, the programme was extraordinarily striking and successful, and funded almost entirely through private sponsorship, levered in on the back of the public grant in aid that we at the council were able to contribute.

Earlier this year, with the Minister, I had the pleasure of attending the British Council's conference in Prague—a fascinating and useful opportunity to bring together not only people from this country and from the Czech Republic but people from many of the other emerging democracies, the accession countries in the new Europe.

For me, the highlight of that conference was a discussion chaired by another dual British citizen—John Tusa, himself a Briton of Czech origin—on the question of identity, and what it means to be British in an increasingly multicultural and diverse country. For me, to have the opportunity to hold that discussion in a country and a city undergoing such an extraordinary change in its own identity was an admirable example of how the British Council not only contributes through relationship-building to the development of stronger democracies abroad, but learns from that participation and co-operation with people whose experience is so different from our own.

An exhibition took place in India towards the end of last year as part of our contribution to the celebration of 50 years of independence—"The Enduring Image" exhibition of treasures from the British museum, which was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in October. That exhibition was of particular interest to many of my constituents, for whom India is their mother country and second home. It brought a different facet of Britain to a country with which we have such a long and close relationship, and was ranked by Indian commentators as among the best of the cultural events during the 50th anniversary year.

As the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey said, the British Council has an extraordinary capacity to complement the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our diplomatic missions overseas. It is the Heineken of British foreign policy; it reaches the parts that other bodies cannot reach.

In some of the ways that I have described, we help to promote the reality, not simply the image, of a modern, dynamic, creative Britain. Especially in our work on human rights, we support the Government's ethical foreign policy stance. We promote values that are of enduring importance.

I must mention in particular the council's work on gender issues. We have been instrumental in helping to promote and enhance the position of women politicians and potential women leaders in many parts of the world. For instance, in September 1997 we arranged a high-level two-day meeting in Cairo for women Members of Parliament from this country and their counterparts and colleagues from Egypt, east Jerusalem, Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco and Sudan. That enabled them to learn from our experience and us to learn from their experience, and enabled us all to help to devise effective strategies for developing women's position in countries in which they face particular difficulties.

Reema Hamami, head of the masters programme in gender development and law at Birzeit university, has said: One of the great strengths of the British Council in East Jerusalem is that it responds to local needs instead of imposing pre-selected frameworks. The Council has been an important supporter of work for gender equity and the promotion of gender-legislation, development of local capacity and the integration of gender as a fundamental component in the development process. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development has repeatedly stressed that it is vital and central to any effective development strategy that we invest in the capacity and the abilities of women as well as men in developing countries.

I must also mention the council's work in promoting the English language and "education, education, education". One way in which we do that, complementing the English language teaching referred to by the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey, is through our extraordinary network of libraries and computer centres throughout the world.

I have had the pleasure of visiting the library in Prague, although, unlike my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Rowlands), I have not yet had the chance to see what I understand is a most impressive building in Hong Kong. Such libraries provide a resource for people in the 109 countries in which we operate, and people can walk in off the street—[Interruption.]

Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex)

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I do not like to interrupt the hon. Lady's admirable speech, but is it necessary for those pagers to go off so loudly in the House of Commons? Are Labour Members sounding a little off-message?

Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Michael J. Martin)

The noise sounds more like a Black and Decker drill than a pager. We shall have it investigated.

Ms Hewitt

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker—

Mr. Denis MacShane (Rotherham)

It is a bit early for the vibration.

Ms Hewitt

I should be delighted to lend the hon. Gentleman my pager, if he would like to experience its delicate low-tone vibration for himself.

Mr. MacShane

That is an offer to take up—[HON. MEMBERS: "He is getting over-excited."] We shall have to give him a Viagra pill as well.

Ms Hewitt

May I return to slightly more serious business, Mr. Deputy Speaker?

Mr. Rowlands

I apologise for interrupting my hon. Friend, but she mentioned the facilities in Prague. I visited those before the fall of the old regime, and the role of the British Council at that time in making connections with information and with individual citizens, who often ran great risks in getting access to our library facilities, was most memorable.

Ms Hewitt

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving that example, because when I was in Prague it was clear that we had been able to build on those relationships, which were established before the change of regime.

I can give another example—from Indonesia, which has recently undergone appalling economic and political turmoil. When the British Council reopened our office and library there after a period of enforced closure, in the first three hours 400 people came in to get back into contact with the outside world through the English language and the British Council resources. That is another wonderful example of the people-to-people relationships that we can construct.

The British Council has now established a website, which receives more than 1 million visits a month. I urge right hon. and hon. Members who have not yet visited it to do so. It is a comprehensive website which acts as a virtual gateway to Britain for millions of people throughout the world.

The right hon. Member for South-West Surrey also talked about finance and administration. Two years ago, we had the misfortune to undergo substantial cuts in the British Council budget, but they were entirely absorbed within the United Kingdom operation; they did not fall upon the overseas operation. As a result of that painful and difficult process, we are now confident—and our confidence is upheld by independent audit—that we are running the most efficient possible operation.

We are a public-private partnership in action. The grant in aid that we receive from the Foreign Office—and which, until the comprehensive spending review, we also received from the Department for International Development—is more than matched by the funds that we raise and earn through our own trading in services and enterprise.

Like the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey, I regret the fact that changes in the way in which the Department for International Development is organising its programme support to developing countries have produced a sharp downturn in the Department's demand for our services, particularly for project management services in parts of Africa, the middle east and India. Those changes result from the shift in development philosophy—which began before the election—away from specific projects, which require project management, towards sector development programmes in partnership with the recipient Governments.

I hope that, in the new development world, there will still be a real need for the expertise that the British Council has brought to bear through the services that we have offered in international development for several years—even if, in future, those services are delivered through recipient Governments, rather than brokered through the Department.

In particular, I warmly welcome the settlement for the British Council announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the comprehensive spending review statement yesterday. It is immensely welcome. The British Council had been planning for a standstill budget—that is to say, a cash-limited budget that would stand still in money terms but fall in real value. Had that been the situation, we would have had to start cutting into programmes in other parts of the world. That threat no longer faces us.

Instead, we have not just the inflation-proofing of our budget, but more than £5 million of new money over the next three years. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development has said, that is welcome and will enable the council to retain and build on its extraordinarily valuable work. It will not permit, as my right hon. Friend rightly said, investment in our estate, buildings and information technology, which badly need modernising. I hope that the Minister will indicate that he and the Department would look on it favourably if the British Council were to come forward with a proposal to fund that necessary capital expenditure through a formal public-private partnership. It seems to be admirably fitted for that approach, and I hope that it will be taken.

Following the comprehensive spending review, we know what the budget will be for the next three years. We know also that the Foreign Office wishes to focus its activities, both geographically and in terms of theme. It is vital that the British Council and its leadership engage in a dialogue with Ministers and with the FCO, to look at how we focus our work around the world. We want to ensure that we do everything as superbly as we currently do the best of our work.

The right hon. Member for South-West Surrey referred to the new leadership at the British Council. Like her, I pay tribute to the director and the chairman—who have retired or are about to do so—and to our new chair, the noble Baroness Kennedy, and our new director, Dr. David Drewry. The new leadership, in a closer and effective partnership with Ministers and our sponsoring Department, will be able to ensure that, for many years to come, the British Council continues as it has done for the past 60 years—to promote the best of Britain to the rest of the world.

10.13 am
Jackie Ballard (Taunton)

My hon. and learned Friend the Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell), a member of the board of the British Council, apologises for being unable to stay for the whole of the debate owing to Defence Committee business.

Two years ago, I probably knew about as much about the British Council as the average member of the British public—I had heard of it, but was unsure what it did. Then I was asked to help train women in Jordan who were potential parliamentary candidates. The event was run by the British Council, in conjunction with the Jordanian national forum for women. Among other things, it involved campaign training—on a purely non-partisan basis—discussions on the role of the free press in a democracy and the importance of scrutiny to ensure a fair and free election system. There were about 60 Jordanian women involved, and they learned a great deal from the five-day workshop. I also learned a great deal about the country and the people of Jordan, and about the respect and affection with which the British Council is regarded in other countries.

I want to concentrate on the importance of the British Council's work on gender issues, which has been referred to by the hon. Member for Leicester, West (Ms Hewitt). I wish to touch on that because of my personal experience working for the British Council, and also because I know of the importance that the Government attach to gender equality and to Britain's responsibilities arising from the Beijing declaration. Women's access to decision making and their legal rights are at their forefront of the British Council's work in social development worldwide. The British Council is also keen to make a significant contribution towards the battle against domestic violence.

In the past three years, 3,000 women campaigners and politicians world wide have received training through the British Council. In Nigeria, for example, that has led to 100 women forming a cross-party movement to get more women into Parliament. It would be interesting if we could emulate that in this country and have a cross-party movement from within Parliament to continue the work done by the 300 Group. In Nepal, the British Council provides police training in gender sensitivity and the handling of domestic violence, combined with radio broadcasts to increase women's awareness of their legal rights.

The British Council plays a key role in helping to secure respect and influence for Britain. It works with those who take decisions and shape opinions, or with those who will be future leaders of their country as well as with others within the country. However, the work involves not just countries overseas but organising and facilitating visits of policymakers to Britain. For example, in April this year, eight Spanish Government officials—all women—came here to study British methods of dealing with domestic violence, as we are generally seen as a leading country in handling the problem.

In the past year, the British Council has used two vehicles to promote gender equality in Kuwait. With the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it has adopted a women-only policy in the selection for Chevening scholarship awards. Some of us were privileged to meet one of the Chevening scholarship people at a recent lunch held by the British Council in the House. It has also sponsored a focus on health care for women. Other gender-based work has taken place in Israel, the Palestine territories, Egypt and Mexico, among other countries.

The hon. Member for Leicester, West mentioned a high-level meeting of Anglo-Arab women Members of Parliament in Cairo last year. I am sure that the delegation from the Arab counties was high-level. Looking at the hon. Member for Keighley (Mrs. Cryer) and myself, I am not sure whether others would think that the delegation from Britain was quite so high-level in terms of access to decision-making.

Mr. Soames

I don't know about that.

Jackie Ballard

I thank the hon. Gentleman. I was hoping for such an interruption. That fascinating two-day meeting was designed to plan strategies to enhance women's participation in politics, but also to foster greater understanding between Britain and the Arab world.

If I have a criticism of the British Council, it is that it does not do enough to publicise its existence or its work to British parliamentarians or to the British people. I congratulate the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley) on securing this debate, which I hope will solidify the Government's support for the British Council and help to increase public awareness of its role as an integral part of Britain's international effort.

10.18 am
Mr. Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne and Sheppey)

Two things make me very proud when I am travelling overseas: the British Council and the BBC World Service. Those two outstanding external forces are the best in the world, and we should be proud of them. I, too, have visited many British Council offices, especially in the middle east, and I pay tribute to the office in Gaza—a desperate place at the moment—where the council does an extraordinary job in the community, both in arranging cultural exchanges and in teaching English.

I have a few thoughts for the Minister. Is he confident that the name British Council rings true in its representation of a vibrant country? The word council is academic and intellectual; it gives the wrong impression. Will he consider whether the name is appropriate as we go forward into the 21st century?

There are five deposit libraries in the United Kingdom, including the great British library, but there could be a sixth—a virtual library for the British Council. It would cost very little money; it could be either the British library's on-line service or the council's own virtual library of books and magazines, which could be electronically delivered round the world. One notices a disparity in the number of books between the various offices and a lack of books in English—some of the history books were written in the 1950s. A modern on-line service in every centre would be sensational, and would not cost us much.

Given the recent soccer world cup and the fact that FIFA has more members than the United Nations, will the Minister reflect on how little the British Council uses sport, despite the fact that it is a great international language? I pay tribute to the Penguins international rugby club, which I know well and of which I am a member. It will be 40 years old next year and has made 56 overseas tours—it is currently touring Chile and Brazil. It always pays its way and always sends coaches into schools to sell the game of rugby union. We could use the council to help our football world cup bid for 2006 or our Olympics bid for 2012. We do not utilise the great sports, many of which were created in this country.

10.21 am
Dr. Julian Lewis (New Forest, East)

Unlike my right hon. Friend the Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley), I do not have the advantage of having seen the most recent annual report of the British Council, so my starting point in examining its role and leadership—I shall touch on its relevance to an ethical foreign policy—is the 1996–97 annual report, which states: The purpose of the British Council is to promote a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language and to encourage cultural, scientific, technological and educational co-operation between the United Kingdom and other countriesߪ The Foreign and Commonwealth Office…is the Council's sponsoring Department. The report later stresses that members of the board must be British citizens…chosen from among those who occupy positions of recognized eminence in British educational, professional and cultural life… Appointment to the offices of Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Vice-Chairman require the approval of the Foreign Secretary. A recent publication, "The British Council in Russia", refers to the fact that the British Council lists among its "main priorities" the promotion of "democratic values" and of Russia's transition to a market economy". Who is to be at the head of this multi-million pound, taxpayer-funded exercise in the export of democracy and market-oriented values? Hon. Members have referred to Baroness Kennedy, about whom I want to make some remarks. I have written to inform her that I would be doing so, and I shall not refer to anything that has not been published or stated openly in the press.

When it was announced that Baroness Kennedy would be appointed as chairman of the British Council, the new director general, David Drewry, said: This is a great opportunity for the Council and Helena's impressive track record and leadership qualities will help us enormously in projecting Britain's strengths worldwide. On 21 April, the Financial Times described Baroness Kennedy as a Blairite lawyer and human rights activist". It predicted: Her appointment is likely to reinforce the role of the British Council in the government drive to 're-brand' the image of Britain which, in her words, 'is no longer of men of a particular class'. The impact of the Blairite baroness, who gained her peerage last year, is likely to be most felt in the human rights work of the Council which arranges exchanges of lawyers with foreign countries. An intriguing profile by Harriet Swain in The Times Higher Educational Supplement of 22 May stated that Baroness Kennedy has become a symbol of a feisty woman, determined to expose the anachronisms of this country's institutions, and a heroine for the underprivileged. It explained: She has worked her way into many of this country's most powerful institutions from a standing start, and is determined that they should become more open to the type of person she represents… 'You have to take an institution by the throat to get it to change,' she says. 'You have to have a radical agenda for reform.' Throughout her career, she has chosen to work at reform from the inside, and as a result has incited some criticism. Some believe"—

Mr. Deputy Speaker

Order. I become very concerned when hon. Members read articles into the record. That is not what a debate is about. The hon. Gentleman must paraphrase. Moreover, he must be careful about making personal remarks about a member of the other House.

Dr. Lewis

I thank you for that guidance, Mr. Deputy Speaker. As I said, I notified the noble Baroness of the remarks that I intended to make, but, given the time shortage and your advice, I shall move on.

I want to declare an interest. I used to be a consultant to a group called the Media Monitoring Unit, which investigated whether the BBC and ITV were observing the provisions for due impartiality on politically contentious subjects. During that time, I came across frequent references to Helena Kennedy, as she was then.

Ms Hewitt

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that Baroness Kennedy's appointment was made after open advertisement and an extensive search? It was made on the unanimous recommendation of the search committee of the board of the British Council. Is he also aware that, as the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley) said, the British Council is not a party political body? It has been supported and valued by Governments of all parties for the past 60 years. Will he cease his slur on the noble Lady and make a valuable, rather than a tawdry, contribution to the debate?

Dr. Lewis

The hon. Lady has made her speech and she is welcome to intervene on mine if she wants. However, I am talking about the facts, which, summarised, are these: only a decade ago, Baroness Kennedy was actively involved in the International Association of Democratic Lawyers—

Mr. Deputy Speaker

Order. I make an appeal to the hon. Gentleman. The title of the debate on the Order Paper is The work and future prospects of the British Council", and he should not use it as an opportunity to attack someone. He may, perhaps, do so on another occasion, but not in this debate, which was secured by his right hon. Friend the Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley). I really think that he is overstepping the mark.

Dr. Lewis

Again, I thank you for your guidance, Mr. Deputy Speaker. In a week or so, the noble Lady will head the British Council, a multi-million pound organisation, so I do not know on what occasion it would be more appropriate to point out some of the things of which the selection committees and the people who elected her unanimously were not aware. Those things I shall list briefly and then—no doubt to the delight of those hon. Members who are present—I shall conclude my remarks. Baroness Kennedy actively participated in a leading Soviet-front organisation, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers—

Mr. Malcolm Savidge (Aberdeen, North)

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Dr. Lewis

No, I will not give way any further. If hon. Members do not want me to criticise the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, they should take issue with the Labour party, which banned it as a proscribed organisation and a communist front from 1952 until 1973.

For three years in the 1980s, Baroness Kennedy chaired the Haldane Society of so-called Labour Lawyers, which is in fact the British arm of the Soviet front, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. In the early 1980s, a curious announcement appeared in the personal columns of the Morning Star, congratulating Helena Kennedy on the birth of her son, from the Covent Garden branch of the Communist party.

Mr. Wyatt

What is the relevance of all this?

Dr. Lewis

The relevance is simple: if we appoint someone to head an organisation promoting abroad the values of democracy, reform and the free market, as is alleged to be the case in some of the British Council's literature, past membership of communist front organisations and the British Communist party is a relevant consideration. No one mentions these things, because these days such people reinvent themselves.

Mr. Savidge

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Did the hon. Gentleman say that Baroness Kennedy was a past member of the British Communist party, and would he like to retract that?

Mr. Deputy Speaker

Order. It is for me to decide whether an hon. Member is in order. The hon. Gentleman is not out of order in what he has said so far. If he is out of order, I will not be long in notifying him.

Dr. Lewis

I invite Baroness Kennedy to say to the community at large whether she now repudiates the affiliations that she had through those years of the cold war and recognises the fact that she should have had nothing to do with organisations such as the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, or whether she thinks that it is satisfactory to change her opinions and her political clothes with the fashions of the day.

I make no apology for having raised these matters. Ministers, from the Prime Minister to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with no hesitation whatever, have raised political activities in which I was involved 20 years ago whenever I have attacked them. I am not being appointed to run an important organisation, and Baroness Kennedy is. It is right that she should disavow her disgraceful political record of support for communist organisations that supported regimes whose murderous activities left a blot on the history of the 20th century.

10.32 am
Mr. Ben Chapman (Wirral, South)

In another career, I spent many years working in embassies and high commissions overseas, most recently in China. In each instance I worked closely with the British Council, and especially in China, because, by Chinese regulation, the council was part of the embassy and operated from the same building. Wherever I served, everyone to whom I talked saw the council in the most positive light.

It is commonplace to say so, but many of the leaders of the countries concerned studied in Britain with the council's help. Many countries have benefited from training provided by the council or have projects managed by the council. In appropriate places, the council has had a distinctly commercial edge to its efforts: for example, in exporting British education and training or promoting British publishing. In many places, that has been part of a collaborative, innovative effort to increase our invisible exports, and I see no harm, and much good, in that.

More recently, I worked in Manchester, where I saw the British Council in a different light: not as an administrator of aid or a manager of projects but as an important figure in the landscape and a major employer in a prestigious, purpose-built building, appropriate for the reception of foreign visitors and the promotion of the United Kingdom. The building was designed as the council's main office, if not its head office, and was part of the regeneration of Manchester and the north-west.

During my time in Manchester, I witnessed the destruction of much of the council's operations by cuts in grant in aid. The council rightly decided to take the brunt of the cuts in the United Kingdom rather than in its teeth operations overseas so a 9 per cent. cut overall became a 25 per cent. cut at home. Overall, the council has lost 40 per cent. of its staff over the past six years.

The restructuring process has left the council with buildings and information technology systems that no longer project an appropriate image of Britain. That cannot be right. Perhaps more important, the council may now be unable to exploit opportunities to develop new activities with overseas partners. The cuts left it without the ability to play to its strengths.

The public expenditure settlement was a considerable setback, but it is not the council's only problem. Grant in aid represents only a third of its income. It will be damaged further if there is a reduction in its project management role and its ability to attract contract income. It may be right to promote greater emphasis on working partnerships with overseas governments in poverty, education and health, and to lay stress on multilateral rather than bilateral aid, but there is certainly a value in aid with a UK face.

Any reduction in English language teaching has the potential to cause harm, and not only to the council. It is right and proper—and indeed expected and desired overseas—that English language teaching should be undertaken by people from the home of that language, who speak British, rather than American, English; that is of great commercial benefit to us.

It is often said that we attract inward investment because of, for example, the availability of sites, our flexible work force and our higher education, but a principal factor is the fact that we speak English. The investors are trained to speak English and feel comfortable in a location where English is spoken.

The British Council is lean, businesslike, disciplined, IT-based, highly professional and highly respected. Its role in human rights, governance and the promotion of women's rights is exemplary, but it needs the tools to do the job. The increased funding provided by the comprehensive spending review might not be all that it wanted, but—set against the background of prudence in financial management and the need to put money into health and education, as well as an increased aid programme—the settlement is generous and, in real terms, a grant increase. It must surely be welcomed, both absolutely and relative to what has gone before.

10.36 am
Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex)

This seems to be a fashionable week for the Conservative party to do some mass apologising. It is not my place to apologise for the appalling speech of my hon. Friend the Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis), but I am sorry that the previous Government's treatment of the British Council stands as a blot on an otherwise admirable record.

Mr. Savidge

rose—

Mr. Soames

No, I will not give way.

The previous Government failed to see what an extraordinarily powerful arm of British diplomacy the British Council could be. When I was Minister of State for the Armed Forces, I travelled extensively, especially in the middle east and in eastern Europe, and it was always a great source of pride and admiration to see the work of the British Council, often conducted on a shoestring but achieving remarkable results; for that very reason, it was a soft target. I am delighted that the present Government have given it more resources. They are slender resources when one considers the massive increases in other areas, but we should be grateful for what is, after all, a real increase.

I agree with the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Mr. Wyatt), who said that, in the quiver of arms of British diplomacy, the World Service of the BBC, the British Council and defence diplomacy have a terrific part to play in tandem with Britain's largely exceptional and brilliant, but mostly unrecognised, diplomatic effort, which buys us so much more than we deserve overseas.

The hon. Member for Taunton (Jackie Ballard), in a good and supportive speech, concentrated largely on gender-based issues. I hope that the British Council will not become a quasi-politically correct organisation, promoting overseas some of the more loopy British fairy-tale ideas of the moment. It needs to balance its efforts between presenting what is traditional and remarkable, culturally and historically, about Great Britain, and presenting our modern success and what we stand for in the world. It must not be some quasi-autonomous organisation promoting women's rights throughout the world. That has a place, but it must not take the lead in an organisation that is meant to present a balanced view of everything that this country stands for and that people overseas see in it.

Finally, the Ministry of Defence will not thank me for saying this, but, on the argument as to whether a type 23 frigate or the Royal Shakespeare company should visit a country, on some occasions the value of the former is inestimable and cannot be over-exaggerated, but, generally speaking, a visit by the latter, or any of the other great cultural institutions of this country, does more good for Great Britain overseas than almost anything else we could imagine.

10.40 am
Mrs. Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham)

On 2 July 1935, 63 years ago, the inaugural meeting of the British Council took place in St James's palace, when the then Prince of Wales agreed to become its patron. The chairman, Lord Tyrrell, is reported as saying that he was encouraged in the undertaking by a small grant from the Treasury of £6,000", the active collaboration of six other Government Departments and generous donations from private individuals. The council used that foundation to establish the platform for later work. At the meeting, it is also reported that it had already been able to bring a party of Swedish landowners and gardening experts to this country.

I think hon. Members will agree that the British Council has made considerable progress since those early days. Its distinguished patron is Her Majesty the Queen and, as my right hon. Friend the Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley) said, it can now be found in 230 towns and cities in 109 countries, helping to win for the United Kingdom a sizeable market share in the global education and training export business, while its primary role in our cultural diplomacy is unparalleled. Therefore, I congratulate my right hon. Friend on securing this Adjournment Debate on the work and future prospects of the British Council, which is particularly apposite following yesterday's spending review. I was disappointed to find only one mention of the British Council in the White Paper, which states, at page 73: The British Council will have a key role to play in presenting the new image of Britain. Judging by the contributions made by hon. Members on both sides of the House today, it deserved a slightly larger mention in the document.

I shall take a few moments to highlight the variety of work carried out by the British Council and to draw on a personal example, as many hon. Members have done. I must record my thanks to the staff of the council in Oman who supported me when I visited that country as an Education and Employment Minister in my efforts to help consolidate the Omanis' adoption of the British national vocational qualifications scheme. That scheme certainly highlights one of the most successful and perhaps slightly less well-known aspects of the council's work, as the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Mr. Willis) said.

The NVQ and GNVQ unit in the British Council in Oman was set up in April 1995. The council had convinced the Omani Government that the way to indigenise the work force was to provide training related to future work possibilities and that the British GNVQ and NVQ system was the ideal model. GNVQs were introduced into the five technical and industrial colleges there and NVQs provided on-the-job and pre-job training. The British Council unit there offers finance training leading to qualifications offered by the Association of Accounting Technicians and the training is open to all Omanis. The council also has a contract with a large oil company to train its staff, which shows how well regarded it is. The unit also offers business administration qualifications, information technology and English language training and works with a number of companies and Government organisations, such as the Muscat municipality.

The council's NVQ unit became the first accredited overseas centre for the delivery of international management programmes within the NVQ framework. The unit is also an accredited training and development lead body centre, which means that it can act as a consultant for other training units that want to become accredited NVQ centres and can also train personnel to be trainers or assessors. Consequently, the council works closely with other Omani institutions.

The net effect is that the centre is very successful and is recognised by the Omanis as a quality operation, providing a supporting role to its indigenisation programme. The unit is also impressive because it is self-funded on a full cost-recovery basis. Since 1995, its income has increased by 300 per cent. At any one time, 400 students are being trained directly by the council, with conservative estimates putting the number benefiting indirectly from the British Council's operations at around 10,000. That is impressive and is a fine example of what can be achieved in a country with which we are proud to have such good relations.

When I was in Oman, the director was Mr. Clive Bruton, who expertly led a first-class team. He has since moved on to Nigeria, where, yet again, the varied and valuable work of the British Council can be seen in operation, this time under more adverse circumstances. The Nigerian operation is my second example. We are all hoping for the re-emergence of a stable and democratic Government in Nigeria, and the British Council is playing a significant role in engendering the conditions necessary for the realisation of that aim. For example, in March 1994, it organised a major conference on human rights, which led directly to the formulation of a common human rights curriculum for all law graduates, and to increased contacts with local human rights organisations.

The council has four priorities in that area. The first is to support those organisations that are trying to reduce corruption in Nigeria. The second is to train Nigerians in conflict management techniques, in which they have already had a notable success when, in Zangon Kataf—I hope that my pronunciation is not off beam—they managed to get opponents round a table for the first time for four years when they had been killing each other instead of negotiating. The other two priorities are to train and inform human rights workers and to assist the Nigerian Government to make the transition to democracy through assisting the training of elected officers to the local government associations and, in particular, through the training of women. I mention the latter as other hon. Members have done so and there is no doubt that, as women become more involved in the political process, the likelihood of conflict diminishes. I am sure that we would all wish British Council staff in that region and the director, Mr. Bruton, well in that vital work.

In the short time available, I have highlighted two examples of British Council work, but we know from the contributions of other hon. Members on both sides of the House about the variety of work that it carries out so successfully. When the Minister replies, I hope that he will be able to give some assurances that that and future work will not be jeopardised. I referred to the fact that the spending review White Paper only made a small mention of the British Council and I understand that there will be a small increase in its funding, but much has been made of the fact that Overseas Development Administration contracts have reduced by about 71 per cent. I hope that the fears raised by my right hon. Friend the Member for South-West Surrey about the major drop in Department for International Development contracts will give the Minister an opportunity to enlighten us on what can be done to redress that.

The Foreign Office section of the spending review contains a clear indication that certain posts will be closed to reflect this Government's new priorities. I hope that the Minister will be able to tell us which will be closing and what effect that may have on the work of the British Council. Do any of the envisaged closures threaten any British Council presences? I hope that he may be able to guarantee that no posts will close and that there will be no reduction in the overseas staff. I also hope that he may have time to spend a moment on the new priorities for projecting a new image of Britain and how he envisages directing the council that its work should change.

As a supporter of the British Council, I hope that the Minister will respond positively. I hope, too, that that valuable institution continues to go from strength to strength. It represents the best of Britain throughout the world, and brings inestimable benefits to Britain, both in good will and for our economy.

10.49 am
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Doug Henderson)

I am delighted to reply on the Government's behalf, and grateful to the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley) for initiating the debate. The Government commend the contribution of those hon. Members who serve on the British Council, as well as the work of other hon. Members who regularly contribute to the council's work both here and overseas. I will not be able in the time available to cover all the points raised in the debate, and I may have to save some answers for any future occasion on which hon. Members can again raise the points made today.

It gives me great pleasure to state the Government's appreciation of and support for the work of the British Council. The council is going through a period of change and development under a new leadership team. Dr. David Drewry took over as director general in January on the retirement of Sir John Hanson. Sir Martin Jacomb will retire this month after a distinguished term of office as chairman, and I pay tribute to his enthusiastic service. I warmly welcome the appointment of Baroness Kennedy as his successor following the unanimous decision to appoint her.

The House will appreciate the comments of the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames) who set the record straight following the disgraceful speech made by the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis), who demonstrated how isolated he is from the House and how isolated his politics are from the British people.

Hon. Members have spoken eloquently about the British Council. Its activities are at record levels. It operates from 230 offices in 109 countries, which is more than double the 1980 figure of 108 offices in 79 countries. The scope of its work is impressive. It embraces promotion of the English language, recruitment of overseas students, human rights, gender-based work, good governance, scientific collaboration, the provision of libraries and high-tech information services, the showcasing of contemporary arts and much more. When I visit British posts in the area for which I am responsible, I always make a point of visiting the British Council, and I am always impressed with the commitment of those who work for it, and with the quality of their work. The British Council's work emphasises British excellence, creativity and ingenuity. It enhances our prestige, supports our exports and makes us long-term friends throughout the world.

The council received a financial shock in the 1995 public expenditure settlement, which left it facing a real-terms decline in its combined grants in aid of 16 per cent. over three years. That was later partially mitigated, but the council had to embark on major restructuring to make its sums add up. It shed one quarter of its headquarters staff, and moved to smaller premises in Manchester.

I am therefore delighted to confirm two outcomes of the comprehensive spending review that should help the council. First, the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development have agreed that the two separate grants in aid given to the council in recent years should be amalgamated into a single grant administered by the Foreign Office, subject to parliamentary approval. The council has warmly welcomed that move. The funding transferred from the Department for International Development will include an inflation uplift for the three years covered by the comprehensive spending review.

The most immediate effect of that change is that the British Council will no longer be required to report and account to two Departments. Arrangements that were appropriate when the Overseas Development Administration was part of the Foreign Office are less so since the establishment of a separate Department. The change will reduce the administrative load on the council, and will enable it to carry out its activities as a seamless whole.

Secondly, we have reversed the real-terms decline in grant in aid funding. For three years, the council will receive full annual inflation uplifts plus a further increase of £2 million a year. That is the same percentage increase as that received by the Foreign Office. It will enable the council to plan ahead securely, and to seize opportunities around the world.

Mrs. Gillan

The Minister mentioned the cuts made in 1995. Will he confirm that between 1979–95 Conservative Governments increased grant in aid to the British Council by more than one third, which is considerably more than the increase that he has just announced? Can he assure us that no British Council post overseas will close, and that any closure of Foreign Office posts will not adversely affect British Council presence in the relevant countries?

Mr. Henderson

The hon. Lady is selective in her choice of statistics. Were she to choose the trend in the 1980s, a different picture would emerge of real cuts in resources for the British Council. If she does not believe me, she should ask anyone involved in the council, who would soon confirm that that was so. The council will welcome yesterday's spending review.

Mrs. Gillan

rose—

Mr. Henderson

I have not answered the hon. Lady's previous question yet. She asked about Foreign Office posts. We are reviewing our current structure, and the British Council's requirements are among the top priorities of that review. When we make decisions, we shall report them to the House.

Mr. Soames

The British Council needs another review like it needs a hole in the head. It needs stability, and to be allowed simply to get on with its work with more money. The Minister has conjured up the first bit. Will he leave the council alone to get on with the job?

Mr. Henderson

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor made it clear yesterday that the public expenditure review is about change in order to receive. No Department is exempt, and it is right that our Departments should modernise along with the country. We need to seek change that will represent our people better abroad. The Foreign Office is right to conduct a review.

My hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, West (Ms Hewitt) mentioned the contracting arrangements undertaken by the British Council for the Department for International Development when foreign aid is ready for disbursement. Procedures are changing, and there will be increasing emphasis on giving aid directly to the recipient countries. Previously, the British Council and others have acted as contractors, but that role will be reduced. As my hon. Friend says, the British Council and other non-governmental organisations have an opportunity to contact recipient countries directly to see whether they can tender for administration of the work. I assure the House that any support that the Government can give the British Council in that regard will be given. There is an opportunity because those schemes need a delivery mechanism. As I think the world of foreign aid recognises, it does not matter how much aid is available, without a delivery mechanism it is often wasted and does not reach its intended destination. There is a crucial role there for the British Council, which, at the same time, can bolster British interests.

The council is taking a fresh look at its mission and long-term strategy. Thanks to our ability through the spending review to provide a firm and increasing level of grant in aid over the next three years, the strategy re-examination has a firm foundation of financial stability. I am confident that the council, with its skills, experience and high reputation overseas, will continue to play an essential role in promoting this country's interests and influence around the world.

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