§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the creation of a Commonwealth Education Fund; who will be in charge of it; and whether the £10 million funding will be for 2002 only. [34761]
§ Mr. BoatengUnder Clare Short's leadership, DFID have committed over £600 million since 1997 to achieving universal primary education. The Commonwealth Education Fund will complement this effort by supporting civil society to help Commonwealth Governments to ensure that the poorest and most marginalised children are able to enrol in and complete good quality primary education. The fund will support innovative ways of working with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children (including street children, former child soldiers and nomadic children). It will also help promote public participation in education planning and delivery in the Commonwealth.
The Government have pledged an initial £10 million to kick-start the fund. They will also match contributions by business, pound for pound including tax relief. Money