Written statement to Parliament

Triennial Review of the British Council

皇冠体育app Triennial Review concludes the British Council is a valuable asset and makes a significant contribution to the UK鈥檚 international standing.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
皇冠体育app Rt Hon Hugo Swire

皇冠体育app Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mr Hugo Swire said: 皇冠体育app Foreign and Commonwealth Office will today publish the Triennial Review of the British Council. 皇冠体育app start of the Triennial Review was announced by WMS in July 2013. 皇冠体育app 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鈥檚 international standing. 皇冠体育app 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.

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Published 22 July 2014