Earl of Dundee

The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. These issues are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.

The Government remains committed to recovering the loan when the British Council's finances allow.

In an increasingly digital age, the British Council's impact should be judged by the outcomes it delivers through its programmes and operations, rather than its physical presence.

The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. These issues are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.

The Government remains committed to recovering the loan when the British Council's finances allow.

In an increasingly digital age, the British Council's impact should be judged by the outcomes it delivers through its programmes and operations, rather than its physical presence.

The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. These issues are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.

The Government remains committed to recovering the loan when the British Council's finances allow.

In an increasingly digital age, the British Council's impact should be judged by the outcomes it delivers through its programmes and operations, rather than its physical presence.

The difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to 0.3 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 was taken by the Prime Minister to address the imperative of national security. The UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development. We remain committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on ODA when fiscal circumstances allow. Impacts on future ODA budgets are currently under review as part of the wider Spending Review process and we are in discussion with our international partners on education initiatives. We are focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way and will carefully assess equalities impacts and potential impacts on the FCDO's supply chain. We are committed to protecting education initiatives at the Council of Europe. Most Council of Europe-led initiatives on education come from the ordinary Council of Europe budget which the UK pays into through its yearly subscription payment.

The UK is committed to partnerships to deliver comprehensive education programmes comprising science, technology and humanities subjects globally, including through online learning, where appropriate, and working in partnership with countries concerned. For example, the UK's Girls' Education Skills Partnership (GESP) programme provides high quality and market-relevant skills training to girls and young women aged 13 to 24 in Nigeria and Bangladesh, through which they will become entrepreneurial and employable in sectors such as information technology, manufacturing, and other STEM-related fields. The UK is committed to supporting international online learning through initiatives such as the EdTech Hub. We invest in research aimed at empowering decision-makers with evidence on the use of technology in low-and-middle-income countries, including the use of digital tools, data, and technology in schools, at the government level, and at home to improve learning outcomes. We will continue to support innovation and technology to advance learning globally where this makes sense.