§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of his Department's grant to the British Council. [1462]
§ Mr. FatchettThe level of FCO grant-in-aid to the British Council was published in the Departmental Report. For this year, the grant-in-aid is set at £97.7 million. This enables the Council to maintain a presence in 229 posts in 109 countries. The Council makes a major contribution to the achievement of many of the UK's foreign policy objectives, including the82W enhancement of the UK's influence and prestige overseas, the spread of good government and the promotion of exports.