British Culture: Promotion Overseas (Hansard, 19 March 2001)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal)
My Lords, the British Council is our principal agent for the promotion of British culture overseas. It projects the United Kingdom's creativity, cultural diversity and recent achievements and challenges outmoded stereotypes of the United Kingdom abroad. The council's funding will be increased by 10 per cent over the next three years.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Britain Abroad Task Force and the BBC World Service also promote British culture overseas.

§ Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that helpful reply. Is she aware that the National Theatre, in which I declare an interest, recently visited Belgrade with a production of "Hamlet", which was supported by the British Council? This was the first visit by an international theatre company to Belgrade since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and many senior politicians attended the first performance. Does my noble friend agree that visits of this kind not only give great pleasure—which they obviously do—but can help to cement, build and sometimes heal international relationships? Does she further agree that government money spent on visits of this kind is money well spent?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, I wholeheartedly agree with the noble Baroness. Indeed, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was delighted to join in partnership in relation to this event. It was a hugely successful tour to Belgrade. It has done much for cultural diversity and has demonstrated beyond peradventure how great are the benefits of removing Milosevic.

§ Baroness Rawlings
My Lords, during the Second Reading of the International Development Bill in the other place, the Secretary of State for International Development said: The British Council, which is a fine body, is the cultural arm of British diplomacy".—[Official Report, Commons, 6/3/01; col. 241.] I agree. I also agree that the British Council should be supported in a manner that befits the cultural arm of British diplomacy. Despite the Secretary of State's answer, can the Minister tell the House why the value of contracts between DfID and the British Council has 1153 fallen dramatically from £62 million in 1996–97 to £23.3 million in the last financial year? While the cultural arm of British diplomacy is being amputated, DfID is mutating at an alarming rate. Since 1997 it has grown by 323 staff and its budget by £9 million to £74 million.

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, since the Government came into being they have given staunch support to the British Council. It is with great pleasure that we are able to increase the money given to the British Council by 10 per cent. The noble Baroness will know that the Department for International Development has rightly concentrated on the elimination of poverty. This is all funded by public money. We are extremely proud of the record that the Department of International Development has established worldwide. We are also extremely proud of the efforts made by my noble friend Lady Kennedy, who has led the British Council with great distinction since taking up its chairmanship.

§ Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for making reference to my tenure of the chairmanship of the British Council, of which I am enormously proud. It is right that in recent times the council has received an increase in funding, for which we are grateful. However, the noble Baroness on the Opposition Benches is also right in saying that we have seen a great down-turn in the contracts we have fulfilled for DfID. The effect of that has been very real. Can the Minister assure the House that the impact of the British Council is considerable in promoting British culture abroad? Given that the impact is so important, does she agree that there should be a continuing increase in the funding of the council and that we can look forward to the Government making that possible in the next spending round?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, again I endorse what the noble Baroness has said in relation to the considerable contribution made by the British Council to promoting British culture abroad and, indeed, to helping reinforce the benefits of democracy. As a result—due in large part to the noble Baroness's leadership—the council has done increasingly well. I am confident that at the next spending round the council will be able to show that it uses its current budget extraordinarily well and that it will present a strong case for more funding.

§ Baroness Trumpington
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the excellent work done by the British Council is very much undermined by the presence of football hooligans abroad?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, those who behave badly abroad never bring distinction on to themselves or on to Great Britain. However, we hope that our other talents—which are considerable—will outshine them.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the BBC World Service is also a tremendous ambassador for Britain? Quite apart from the excellence of its broadcasts, its website is one of the best in the world. Can the noble Baroness assure the House that the funding of the BBC World Service and its website is secure for years to come?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, we were also able to make an increase in relation to the BBC World Service. I agree that it plays a vital role in increasing respect and good will for Britain around the world. It set out to be, and has become, the best known and most respected voice in international broadcasting. For many, it will always be the voice of freedom. We are very proud of the BBC World Service and we shall continue to support it.

§ Lord Freyberg
My Lords, will the Minister join me in congratulating the British Council on recently winning the prestigious ARCO international award in Madrid, which is given to the institution that has done most internationally to promote, disseminate and educate in the field of contemporary art? Yet the council has seen a 25 per cent decline in its arts budget over the past five years and begins the next five years on a standstill budget. Can the Minister offer any help in this respect?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, I join the noble Lord in congratulating the British Council. The award to which he refers was extremely well received. The key tool was the British Council's collection of 7,000 works, of which some 5,500 are on show at any one time. In relation to the cut of 25 per cent over the past five years, the British Council has had to reallocate its resources taking into consideration a broad spectrum of points. I understand what the noble Lord says; however, these issues are being addressed energetically and there is a concentration on young artists, which will benefit us all in the long term.

§ Lord Puttnam
My Lords, is the Minister aware of the fact that in 1995 a conference was held in London under the title "Britain and the World", at which the Foreign Secretary, Mr Cook, the then Foreign Secretary, the noble Lord, Lord Hurd, and the then Prime Minister, Mr John Major, all confirmed unequivocally that cultural diplomacy represented the best value for money in presenting Britain to the rest of the world? Has anything happened in the past six years that would allow Mr Cook to think that that is no longer true?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, absolutely not. It is incredibly good value. Britain's creative sector, including music, design and advertising, generates more than £112.5 billion each year and employs more than 3.3 million people. It is growing faster than the economy as a whole: in 1997–98 it was growing at 16 per cent a year. Exports total £10.3 billion. It is a very vibrant sector, of which we are rightly and justly proud.