Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress she has made on negotiations with the (a) British Council and (b) Treasury on the future of the British Council’s loan; and what steps she is taking to help protect the British Council.

While the British Council's Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the British Council's financial sustainability, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and British Council's shared objective is for the British Council to be financially sustainable so it can continue delivering soft power in the long term.

The FCDO is working closely with the British Council to support implementation of a Turnaround Plan to achieve this objective, and continues to work with British Council and HM Treasury to explore viable options for the loan.