§ Mr. Skeetasked the Lord Privy Seal when he expects to receive the report of the interdepartmental committee under the chairmanship of Lord Nicholas Gordon-Lennox covering the British Council; and whether it will be published.
§ Mr. LuceThe report is to be submitted to Ministers by the end of this month. The decisions taken by Ministers 365W in the light of the report will be made public in due course.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Lord Privy Seal what economies have been recommended for the British Council for the financial years 1980 to 1981, 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1983.
§ Mr. LuceIt was announced on 1 November that reductions in Government grants to the British Council in 1980–81 total £5.2 million, consisting of
£3 million grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office;£2.2 million in grants from the Overseas Development Administration.For the period beyond April 1981, an interdepartmental review of the British Council is now considering what further savings should be made. The Council is actively participating in the work of the review, which will need to complete its task and report during November. The review's recommendations will be considered by Ministers before final decisions are taken.