Written questions by Grant.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the education of women and girls globally.

The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. We work through the humanitarian system, leveraging multilateral institutions' funding, and strategically deploying scarce resources to improve access to quality education, particularly for women and girls, through stronger systems.In November 2024, the UK provided £14 million of support for Sudanese refugees through Education Cannot Wait. This reaches 200,000 vulnerable displaced children with education interventions in Sudan and Sudanese refugee populations in Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.An estimated 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their journey to, from and in school annually. In May 2025, the Minister for Africa launched the new Ministerial Taskforce on Ending Violence in and around Schools co-chaired by the UK and Sierra Leone. 11 countries endorsed a joint declaration committing to make violence prevention in and around schools a political priority.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of British Council's repayment of its pandemic loan on its ability to promote UK soft power.

The Government is committed to a successful British Council that is financially stable. The Government recognises the value of the British Council as a UK soft power asset through its important work in promoting the English language, UK arts and culture a...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps are being taken to prioritise Official Development Assistance aid for education in (a) countries where (i) literacy and (ii) numeracy rates are lowest and (b) prot

The UK Government prioritises reaching the most marginalised children with basic literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills, including through our 18 bilateral education programmes. Our centrally managed Scaling Access and Learning in Education and Da...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the recommendations from the United Nations Secretary General's High-level Panel on the Teaching Profession, published in February 2024, what assessment he

Education is critical to our vision for a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. Ensuring access to education in emergencies provides children with normality, protection and hope. Teachers are crucial to this, and supporting teachers underpins FCDO...