Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report 2007-08 - Foreign Affairs Committee Contents


Letter to the Chief Executive of the British Council from the Chairman of the Committee

  Thank you very much for appearing before the Committee last week, alongside Lord Kinnock and Mr Sarkar.

  As I mentioned at the end of the session, there were a number of questions which the Committee did not have time to reach. I would be most grateful if you could provide a written response to these questions, which I have listed overleaf. It would be very helpful to the Committee if we could receive a reply by 1 December.

  Finally, the Committee has asked if you could keep it updated on the situation in Iran, if necessary in confidence.

20 October 2008

HIGH PRIORITY REGIONS

  1.  Your audience engagement did not increase in the Middle East in 2007-08. 2008-09 will be the first year for which you will see significant retargeting of resources to the region. What score do you expect to achieve on audience engagement then?

  2.  How are your pilot teaching models in India progressing? Do you think that they will lead to the provision of cheaper English places in highest priority regions?

CHANGE PROGRAMME AND STAFF

  3.  A recent staff survey showed that your staff are not satisfied with the way change is being managed. What are you doing about this?

  4.  Why have there been particular difficulties with staff morale in the arts group?

VALUE FOR MONEY

  5.  To what extent have you acted on the NAO's recommendations about project management in the British Council?

  6.  Do you have any plans to introduce standard documentation for local projects?

  7.  Why has external funding from partners and sponsors declined since 2001? Are you going to put in place a corporate target to restore external funding to 2001 levels?

  8.  What are you doing to improve your estate management following the criticisms made by the NAO?

CSR 07 SETTLEMENT

  9.  Your memorandum states that your flat cash settlement for the CSR07 period has presented you with some "operating challenges". What are these and do they concern security?

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY BOARD

  10.  To what extent is the Public Diplomacy Board directing public diplomacy work on the ground?

  11.  What progress is the Public Diplomacy Board making on a new framework for evaluating public diplomacy?

20 October 2008





 
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