HC Deb 02 July 1998 vol 315 cc268-9W
Mr. Baldry

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the value of exports generated by the British Council. [47984]

Mr. Fatchett

It is difficult to ascribe a value to UK exports resulting from British Council activity. All its activities enhance the image of the UK and much of what it does leads directly to export benefits. The Council works closely with the FCO, DfEE, DCMS and DTI in promoting the use of British goods and services in education and training and the creative industries. Exports in these sectors were recently estimated at £15 billion. The Council's role is particularly important in student recruitment: the number of overseas students in the UK has doubled over the last six years. In 1997–98, 203,000 overseas students enrolled in UK higher education and it is estimated that the value of this to the economy is in excess of £1 billion annually.

In the cultural field the Council mounts over 2,700 events per year overseas presenting the best of British creativity in the performing arts, literature, fashion and design. The showcase of British theatre which it organised at the Edinburgh Festival in 1997, attended by 220 theatre producers from around the world, has already resulted in over 40 weeks of touring bookings. More than £1 million of income was generated by nine Scottish record labels which were part of the British presence at the Cannes Music Industry Fair in January this year.

The Council's role in support of the Government's export promotion policies will continue to grow through new initiatives such as the formation of the Creative Industries Export Promotion Advisory Group, a public/ private partnership aimed at co-ordinating activities and developing an export strategy in this sector.