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.

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.