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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