Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, (a) when and (b) how British Council contractors in Afghanistan eligible under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be relocated to the UK.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Once initial security and biographic checks are completed on British Council contractors who are assessed as eligible, they can start the relocation process. Travelling from Afghanistan can be challenging, particularly for those who are undocumented. The UK government continues to work, including with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan, on resettlement issues and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans. We do not comment on the details of specific routes for individuals who are eligible for resettlement.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British Council contractors in Afghanistan who submitted their Expressions of Interest via the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme have received confirmation of their eligibility; and when he expects the remainder to do so.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Pathway 3, the FCDO received over 11,400 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) before the window to submit EOIs closed on 15 August 2022. We are in the process of assessing their eligibility and have started notifying individuals of the outcome, and contacting those eligible with details of the next steps. We are working to process cases as soon as is practicably possible. However, we are not yet in a position to provide numbers for each of the 3 cohorts who meet the eligibility criteria. In the first year, we will offer up to 1500 places to eligible at-risk British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors, and Chevening alumni, including their eligible family members.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she is having with her counterpart in (a) Pakistan and (b) other states which may be able to support the relocation of British Council contractors who have been approved under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme; and what her timeframe is for putting in place arrangements to enable people who are most at risk to leave Afghanistan via those third countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will consider Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from eligible at risk British Council Contractors for possible resettlement, as well as from Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni. The FCDO will launch an online system on 20 June to begin accepting EOIs; this will be open until 14 August. The scheme will help those at risk in Afghanistan and the neighbouring region. Expressions of Interest from British Council contractors, and the other eligible groups, will be considered in the order in which they are received. Some will be prioritised because of the role they performed or the project they worked on, or in exceptionally compelling circumstances.
We will resettle those referred under the scheme as soon as possible after the necessary checks are completed. The UK has supported over 4,600 individuals to leave Afghanistan since the end of Operation Pitting. We are grateful to our partners, including the Government of Pakistan, for their cooperation, and we maintain close contact with all Governments in the region.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will ensure that British Council contractors deemed eligible for relocation under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme and at very high risk will be approved and processed in a way that enables them to leave Afghanistan and travel to the UK for resettlement ahead of other candidates and as soon as possible.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will consider Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from eligible at risk British Council Contractors for possible resettlement, as well as from Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni. The FCDO will launch an online system on Monday 20 June to begin accepting EOIs; this will be open until Sunday 14 August. The scheme will help those at risk in Afghanistan and the neighbouring region. Expressions of Interest from British Council contractors, and the other eligible groups, will be considered in the order in which they are received. Some will be prioritised because of the role they performed or the project they worked on, or in exceptionally compelling circumstances.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she wil take steps to prioritise British Council contractors completing expressions of interest in the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme for (a) approval and (b) relocation; and if she will ensure that contractors who are deemed at most risk are expedited for (i) approval and (ii) relocation.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Under the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Government will consider Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from eligible at risk British Council Contractors for possible resettlement, as well as from Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni. The FCDO will launch an online system on Monday 20 June to begin accepting EOIs; this will be open until Sunday 14 August. The scheme will help those at risk in Afghanistan and the neighbouring region. Expressions of Interest from British Council contractors, and the other eligible groups, will be considered in the order in which they are received. Some will be prioritised because of the role they performed or the project they worked on, or in exceptionally compelling circumstances.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support British soft power overseas.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Integrated Review highlighted the importance of building positive perceptions of the UK, creating strong people-to-people links and familiarity with our values; and it sets out the Government’s role in this area. The FCDO continues to fund projects and programmes that promote ‘brand Britain’ for the long term, including the British Council, BBC World Service and our Chevening, Marshall and Commonwealth scholarships. Our international leadership on important international issues is an important part of how others perceive the UK, as we are seeing through our hosting of the G7 and COP26, and our support for a globally accessible Covid-19 vaccine.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the announcement of closures to the British Council's international network, The British Council's future: a message from Kate Ewart-Biggs, Interim CEO on 24 June 2021, whether he plans for there be further closures.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Integrated Review reiterated our commitment to the British Council and it's valuable contribution to projecting UK soft power. We have underscored this commitment with the additional financial support we have allocated to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the Council - over £600 million since March 2020. This includes a 2021/22 grant in aid allocation of £189 million - a 27% increase on funding for 2020/21.
The British Council is further adapting to the digital age, with digital services already having expanded rapidly during the pandemic. The British Council will continue to operate in over 100 countries promoting the English language, UK arts and culture and education. We are not planning further closures. Decisions on future funding will be made as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
If he will take steps to help prevent the closure of British Council offices overseas.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As my honourable friend knows, we agreed a 2021/22 Spending Review for the British Council settlement totalling £189m, a 27% increase on funding for 2020/21. Not only have we increased funding, we provided a rescue package during the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes immediate assistance of £26m at the start of the pandemic, a loan facility of up to £145m, and a further £100m loan to support restructuring. We also provided a Letter of Comfort to ensure the Council could meet its financial obligations. Alongside the British Council, we are reviewing physical Council presence in country as part of a wider modernisation process. These changes will be minimal. The impact of the Council in a digital age should be judged by its operational rather than physical presence. But I would remind him that despite the challenging economic climate, the Government is providing over £600 million since the pandemic hit to secure the Council’s future, demonstrating our commitment to the organisation.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much the Government has donated to the World Food Programme in response to its request for assistance to respond to the covid-19 pandemic, to date.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK has committed £15 million to WFP through the UN's COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan to provide essential global humanitarian functions, such as passenger and cargo services, and medical evacuation. We also accelerated payment of a £12 million tranche of our core funding and worked through our country network to accelerate local payments, enabling WFP to rapidly respond to the global pandemic. The UK is one of the WFP's largest donors, providing £544 million in 2019, and as a force for good in the world we are deeply committed to WFP's essential work on famine and food security. I discussed the work of WFP with David Beasley (WFP Executive Director) when we met on 14 September.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will set out the (a) terms of reference and (b) progress of his review of the British Council; and if he will publish a (i) financial recovery plan and (ii) long-term funding settlement for the British Council.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The internal review of the British Council is ongoing. Officials continue to work closely with the Council to address the impact of Covid-19 on its operations. Further decisions about long-term funding for the Council will be taken at the upcoming Spending Review.