§ 60. Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's current policy towards the development of Commonwealth co-operation.
§ Mrs. ChalkerWe continue to support the development of Commonwealth co-operation and to play our full part in its financing. We already make annual contributions to the Commonwealth fund for technical co-operation, the Commonwealth youth programme, the Commonwealth foundation and the Commonwealth secretariat of 30 per cent. of their budgets, and to the Commonwealth Science Council. In addition, Britain is assisting the Commonwealth of Learning, a new Commonwealth distance education network, by financing the development of the documentation centre and a credit transfer register at the British Open university. The cost will be between £1 million and £2 million over a period of five years. We also provide a substantial grant-in-aid (£2.65 million in 1988–89) to the Commonwealth Institute.