§ 5. Ann Keen (Brentford and Isleworth)If he will make a statement on the funding of the British Council. [129544]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Peter Hain)The British Council is receiving grant-in-aid of some £136 million this financial year as 206 part of the three-year comprehensive spending review settlement. This represents a 2 per cent. increase in real terms over the 1998–99 level.
§ Ann KeenI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. I am sure that he and all right hon. and hon. Members will agree that the British Council does excellent and supportive work. I should particularly like to highlight its current work in the Punjab in relation to human rights and encouraging women there to stand as local government representatives. Will he confirm his support for higher funding for the British Council, in line with the opinion of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs?
§ Mr. HainI agree with my hon. Friend that the British Council is doing an excellent job in the Punjab. It has, for example, a library that is a showcase for Britain there, as it has in many other parts of the world. Wherever I go on overseas ministerial visits, I make a point of visiting the British Council if I can. As for funding, we shall have to wait for the Chancellor's statement, but 10 years ago under the Tories, spending on the British Council was 8 per cent. of the budget of the Foreign Office, whereas now it is 12 per cent. That shows our commitment to the British Council, and we shall continue to give it.
§ Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York)I declare an interest. I received a British Council grant to study at a Danish university. I also received a grant from Rentokil. How many postgraduate students are now able to benefit from British Council funds to study at a European Union university, as I did in my early 20s?
§ Mr. HainI am not sure whether the hon. Lady can spray a bit of Rentokil around the Conservative Benches, thereby enhancing the quality of the House. We are committed to the British Council's getting as much support as possible in respect both of the issue that she raises and of other issues. When I have visited posts, I have seen the excellent work of the council and the way in which it encourages students to come to Britain by providing all sorts of support, from IT support and English language training to assistance with visas and university placements. That is another excellent mark to its credit.
§ Mr. Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne and Sheppey)May I join the fan club of the British Council and express the hope that in the next hour it will receive an increase in its three-year funding? Will my hon. Friend use his best endeavours to support the council? As he knows, it deals with the English language, which is the world's premier language. Would it not be great if we could use some of the money in the next three years to link the British Council with the British library so that we could offer the best service in the world through British Council offices?
§ Mr. HainI will certainly consider that. I agree with my hon. Friend that the council's commitment to English language teaching, much of it now self-financed, is extremely important. When I travel in francophone or lusophone African countries, it is clear that their leaders want to see their people and their countries engage increasingly with the English language and the anglophone world, not least because English is the language of IT and international business. For that reason, 207 the council's work will continue to have support from the Foreign Office, and I am sure that it will have support from the Chancellor later.