§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are discussing the freedom to function of the British Council and legitimate nongovernmental organisations, such as the Moscow Helsinki Group, Memorial and the Soldiers' Mothers Committee, with the Government of Russia; and what conclusions they hope to reach. [HL188]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe have been discussing the British Council's operation in Russia with the Russian authorities for some time with a view to resolving a number of tax and status issues. The unresolved issues have so far not prevented the British Council from continuing with its valuable work, but we continue to work for an early resolution nevertheless.
We attach great importance to the development of civil society in Russia—a point we regularly make to interlocutors from the Russian Government and those from official human rights structures in Russia. We also maintain close contact and co-operation with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) community in Russia. This includes funding a range of human rights projects through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) global opportunities fund. In March this year the FCO organised a successful networking event in London for Russian and international NGOs. We will continue to support efforts towards the 78WA development of an independent and strengthened civil society in Russia through our contacts with NGOs operating there.