§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of Foreign Office scholarships for each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06 (planned); what value for money assessment has been made of the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [156605]
§ Mr. MullinAnnual costs of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) scholarships during the period are:
Number of scholars Cost (£ million) 1996–97 2,198 34 1997–98 2,259 36 1998–99 2,196 39 1999–2000 2,300 40 2000–01 2,470 45 2001–02 2,510 46 2002–03 2,568 48 20034–04 12,487 249 2004–05 n/k 249 2005–06 n/k 249 1estimated 2planned n/k = not known FCO scholarships include Chevening Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, Atlantic Fellowships and the FCO contribution to the UK input into the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.
An external review of FCO scholarships in 2003 examined value for money issues and recommended some reprioritisation within the Chevening scholarships scheme in particular. I will place a copy in the Library of the House.