§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal how often the British Council Scottish Advisory Committee met in the past two years; how many of its members attended; what matters they discussed; and whether this resulted in any new British Council programmes in Scotland.
§ Mr. RidleyThe British Council Scottish Advisory Committee has met six times in the past two years, with an average attendance of between 11 and 12 members.
157WMatters discussed were the organisation of the British Council and its work in fostering relationships in the fields of education and the arts between overseas countries and the United Kingdom, with particular reference to Scotland.
These meetings did not result in new British Council programmes in Scotland, but the council received the benefit of advice from members of the committee on the numerous programmes of international interchange that the British Council organises.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal how much the British Council spends annually on salaries, allowances and travelling expenses for staff in London, regional staff in the United Kingdom and expatriate staff in offices abroad, respectively.
§ Mr. RidleyIn the 1981–82 Estimates provision was made for expenditure on salaries, allowances and travelling expenses of £14.3 million for staff in London, £1.6 million for regional staff in the United Kingdom and £8.2 million for London-appointed staff serving overseas.
All figures are based on 1981–82 cash limit prices.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal how many general project management students from overseas the British Council handled in the first six months of 1981; what were their total course fees; and how these fees were allocated among institutions in England, Wales and Scotland, respectively.
§ Mr. RidleyIt is difficult to define general project management studies, most requests being related to specific project areas. In the first six months of 1981 the total number of overseas students placed on different project planning courses was 82 of whom 76 were in England, six in Scotland, and none in Wales. Course fees, mostly residential, totalled £196,850, of which £180,650 relates to England and £16,200 to Scotland.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal how many young persons from the United Kingdom were sent abroad on youth exchange visits by the British Council in June 1981; and how they were drawn from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, respectively.
§ Mr. RidleyRecords are not kept by date of departure. The following number of young persons received grants in June, for later travel, to assist them to travel overseas under youth exchange programmes:
Numbers England 1,352 Wales 141 Northern Ireland 168 Scotland 263 1,924
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal how many consultants and short-term experts the British Council recruited over the past three years; or for whatever shorter period in respect of which the figures are available; and if he will show how these have been drawn from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland respectively.
§ Mr. RidleyThe figures are as follows:
158W
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Total 1978–79 798 81 31 2 912 1979–80 757 76 36 6 875 1980–81 940 84 28 7 1,059 TOTAL 2,495 241 95 15 2,846 These figures do not include people in receipt of travel grants.
They have been prepared according to the institution where the specialist works.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal why the British Council advised the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations not to send students to a Scottish college for project management training after the United Nations and a foreign Government had already selected that institution.
§ Mr. RidleyA foreign Government and the Food and Agriculture Organisation suggested placing two students on a course at a technical college in Scotland. The British Council's advisers commented that this course was not entirely appropriate for the particular needs of the students and recommended an alternative, to which the Food and Agriculture Organisation agreed, where places are being sought. The British Council has since learned unofficially that the foreign Government have now expressed a clear preference for the Scottish college. Clarification is being sought from the funding agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Lord Privy Seal on how many occasions during the past year the British Council has advised a United Nations agency to consider a different course or venue for a United Nations-sponsored student to Great Britain, when the agency has already selected a course or institution which it believed met its requirements.
§ Mr. RidleyI regret that this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.