UK Soft Power Council: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27532 on the Soft Power Council, what allocation from existing budgets has (a) been allocated to and (b) been spent on the Soft Power Council to date; and what estimate he has made of the resources needed to support the Council in the financial year 2025-26.
Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer
£20,000 was allocated from existing budgets to support the Soft Power Council in the current financial year. £7,257.73 was spent on the first meeting, covering AV, pull-up banners, tea, coffee, water and biscuits as well as Government Hospitality staffing costs. £8,094 was spent on a one-off reception for 175 people to mark the launch of the Council and the Government's new approach to soft power. We are in the process of establishing a Secretariat to support the Council and its Working Groups as part of broader soft power structures.
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