§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the(a) cost and (b) purpose of the "Spaces in Between" project of the British Council was; for what reason an asylum centre was targeted in this project; what UK asylum centres have been targeted; and if he will make a statement. [155556]
§ Mr. WilsonThis programme was the British Council's contribution to "Brussels 2000 European City of Culture", the focus of which was projects with long-term social benefits. One project targeted the children of displaced persons at an asylum centre in Brussels and took the form of three short residencies by British artists who worked in photography, garden-design and painting. The purpose was to demonstrate how such activities can alleviate the effects of displacement and post-conflict trauma among children.
No UK asylum centres were involved: all activity took place in Belgium. The total budget was approximately £10,700.