Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to Home Office English Language Testing services on the British Council’s (a) finances and (b) ability to promote Scottish (i) further and (ii) higher education overseas.

My officials will follow up with the British Council on these points. The British Council is operationally independent from Government; its priorities, programmes and operations are approved by its Board of Trustees.