British Council (Triennial Review)

Lord Swire Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd July 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr Hugo Swire)]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will today publish the triennial review of the British Council. The start of the triennial review was announced by WMS in July 2013. The review concluded that the British Council was a valuable asset to the UK in its promotion of the English language, UK education, arts and culture, making a significant contribution to the UK’s international standing. The review recommended that the British Council should be retained as a non-departmental public body.

To improve transparency and accountability, the review recommended that the British Council should strengthen its connections with UK Government Departments and other bodies representing British interests overseas. To address concerns around competition issues, the review recommended exploring alternative delivery models for commercial activity. To this end, a cross-Government steering group will start work, in July 2014, to assess options and make recommendations to Ministers about a future operating model.

Copies of the report of the review will be published online and placed today in the Libraries of both Houses.