§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department provides to schools wishing to develop links with schools in other countries(a) within and (b) outside the British Commonwealth, and if he will make a statement. [15275]
§ Mr. PaiceI am replying, since the Department for Education and Employment has responsibility for international school links.
The Department contributes to the funding of a number of organisations responsible for implementing the Government's education interchange programmes so far as schools are concerned. These include the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, which is primarily concerned with developing school links with Europe and the United States, and the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers. Grant in aid figures (England and Wales) for 1996–97 are: CBEVE—£3.9 million; LECT—£0.5 million. Under its development programme, the Overseas Development Administration also gave a grant of £50,000 in 1996–97 to Education Partners Overseas, which is an organisation set up to organise and supervise twinning between British schools and schools in developing countries. No distinction is made by the EPO between Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries.