Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their financial plans to support the British Council this year include writing off the emergency loans given during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase financial support the British Council in line with subsidies paid to equivalent organisations in France and Germany.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they will take this year to help prevent the British Council closing more offices.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking with international partners, including at the Council of Europe, to coordinate the delivery of a variety of international education initiatives which are at risk of financial cuts.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing internationally (1) for delivering comprehensive education programmes, comprising science, technology and humanities subjects, (2) to programmes suitable for international online learning to supplement, rather than to replace, classroom teaching, and (3) to programmes designed to be fully acceptable within the countries where they are intended to be received.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what further incentives they will offer to UK businesses to help deliver, through investment, joint venture or partnership, education and children's safety programmes, such as Sustainable Development Goal 4, including programmes supported by the FCDO, Unicef, the British Council, the Commonwealth of Learning, and the World Bank.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK is increasingly working alongside the private sector and philanthropies to deliver Sustainable Development Goal 4. We are a founding donor of the new International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd), which unlocks additional finance from multilateral development banks, amounting to $7 for every $1 of Official Development Assistance. IFFEd is also similarly partnering with philanthropies to unlock further funding. In addition, the Girls' Education Skills Partnership (GESP) programme is another UK-funded initiative working with the private sector to provide high-quality skills training to young women aged 13 to 24 in Nigeria and Bangladesh. GESP draws on resources of the private sector (including companies such as Unilever, Pearson, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Microsoft, Accenture, Standard Chartered, Vodafone and Cognizant) combined with the technical experience of UNICEF to support girls' learning so that they can earn a living.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide financial support to non-governmental humanitarian initiatives providing emergency aid to Ukraine through (1) matched-giving using Official Development Assistance; and (2) encouraging business and industry to engage in matched-giving.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to support medical practitioners through funding partners in Ukraine. For example, the FCDO contributed to £320,000 of funding to the Superhumans War Trauma Centre in Ukraine last year. The clinic provides innovative rehabilitation services to people who have been impacted by war, including training surgeons on prosthetics. In addition, the Ukraine Red Cross Society, funded by UK assistance, provides specialised training at the Burns Unit in Kyiv.

Between 3 March 2022 and 31 December 2024 the UK Government matched £25 million of donations via the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support non-governmental humanitarian initiatives providing emergency aid and medical supplies to Ukraine.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to support medical practitioners through funding partners in Ukraine. For example, the FCDO contributed to £320,000 of funding to the Superhumans War Trauma Centre in Ukraine last year. The clinic provides innovative rehabilitation services to people who have been impacted by war, including training surgeons on prosthetics. In addition, the Ukraine Red Cross Society, funded by UK assistance, provides specialised training at the Burns Unit in Kyiv.

Between 3 March 2022 and 31 December 2024 the UK Government matched £25 million of donations via the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist non-governmental humanitarian initiatives delivering medical aid to Ukraine by (1) helping identify recipient organisations; and (2) releasing surplus medical supplies in the United Kingdom which would otherwise go to waste.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to support medical practitioners through funding partners in Ukraine. For example, the FCDO contributed to £320,000 of funding to the Superhumans War Trauma Centre in Ukraine last year. The clinic provides innovative rehabilitation services to people who have been impacted by war, including training surgeons on prosthetics. In addition, the Ukraine Red Cross Society, funded by UK assistance, provides specialised training at the Burns Unit in Kyiv.

Between 3 March 2022 and 31 December 2024 the UK Government matched £25 million of donations via the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal.

Found: House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill 4 THE EARL OF DUNDEE VISCOUNT HAILSHAM 96_ After Clause 2, insert