Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of British Council funding on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), particularly in relation to UK-Canada disability and arts partnership programmes.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The government remains committed to the British Council. As the Integrated Review made clear, the Council is one of the vital instruments of our influence overseas. We agreed a 2021/22 Spending Review settlement totalling £189 million, a 27% increase on funding for 2020/21. We are also providing loan support of up to £245 million, including a £100 million loan to support restructuring efforts and help rebuild commercial surpluses. The Council will continue to operate in over 100 countries promoting the English language, UK arts and culture, and education.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to conduct a new Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability on Sri Lanka, as recommended in the annual review of Conflict Security and Stability Fund programmes for 2019-20.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office will undertake a new Joint analysis of Conflict and Stability on Sri Lanka in the autumn.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to review the Overseas Security and Justice Assessment related to Conflict, Security and Stability Fund programmes on Sri Lanka.
Answered by Nigel Adams
All Overseas Security and Justice Assessments (OSJA) are regularly reviewed in line with our OSJA policy which can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-security-and-justice-assistance-osja-guidance. The UK's programme work in Sri Lanka is subject to regular and robust OSJA assessments that analyse the potential human rights, international humanitarian law, political and reputational risks of any proposed assistance to ensure that it supports our values and is consistent with our domestic and international human rights obligations.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Bangladeshi government on the compliance of that country's new digital security legislation with international human rights law.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Digital Security Act (DSA) was passed by the Bangladesh Parliament in 2018. Local and international human rights groups raised serious concerns about its broad and vague provisions, granting law enforcement authorities extensive powers to police the online space. The DSA is widely viewed as a means of suppressing opposition and limiting freedom of speech.
In May 2021, the British High Commissioner in Dhaka highlighted concerns to the Bangladesh Law Minister and the International Adviser to the Prime Minister about the sweeping powers of the DSA, which continue to pose challenges for independent and credible media and civil society in Bangladesh. In July, the Deputy High Commissioner reiterated UK concerns to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also urged Bangladesh to focus on improving the conditions for a free and independent media and the protection of human rights. We continue to work with like-minded partners and urge the Government of Bangladesh to ensure that the DSA is in compliance with international human rights law.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has accredited the Burmese Ambassador to the UK appointed by the military dictatorship in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We do not discuss the details of accreditation requests in specific cases.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has sought accreditation for the new UK Ambassador to Myanmar from the military dictatorship in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is committed to maintaining an Embassy in Yangon which is delivering vital work to deliver our aid programme and support our political objectives. We are only engaging with the military regime where necessary, including on issues connected to enabling the functioning of the Embassy, and on the welfare of British nationals. We do not discuss the details of accreditation requests in specific cases.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Chinese Government on the reported (a) illegal practice of organ harvesting and (b) persecution by that Government of the Falun Gong people in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practice, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. We continue to monitor the issue of alleged organ harvesting closely and consider carefully all evidence presented to us. We regularly raise our concerns about the human rights situation with the Chinese authorities, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will release the details of the commercial loan terms given to the British Council in 2020.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government provided the British Council access to a loan facility of £60 million in 2020, which was increased to £145 million in 2021, to enable the organisation to remain solvent and meet its minimum financial obligations in response to the impact of Covid on its exams and teaching business. The terms of this loan facility are commercially sensitive, however, the loan facility was made in line with the Market Economy Operator Principle with assessments conducted on the British Council's financial data and credit worthiness to ensure the terms are in line with those which a private operator would provide.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many jobs he expects to be lost at the British Council due to the recent announcements of reduced staffing levels; and if he will publish the (a) roles and (b) locations of those jobs.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains committed to the British Council. As the Integrated Review made clear, the Council is one of the vital instruments of our influence overseas. It will continue to operate in over 100 countries promoting the English language, UK arts and culture and education, and continue to promote Global Britain. Questions about staffing levels are operational matters for the British Council.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of reductions in staffing levels at the British Council on the UK’s reputation overseas in respect of (a) delivering education and training and (b) securing trade deals following the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains committed to the British Council. As the Integrated Review made clear, the Council is one of the vital instruments of our influence overseas. It will continue to operate in over 100 countries promoting the English language, UK arts and culture and education, and continue to promote Global Britain. Questions about staffing levels are operational matters for the British Council.