Book Aid International: Finance

Mr. Dunne
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reason the Government have not continued to provide funding for Book Aid International beyond 31 March.

Mr. Thomas
DFID (and formally the Overseas Development Administration) has been providing substantial core funding to Book Aid International (BAI) for over 30 years. In 2004 BAI were made aware that DFID planned for a phased reduction in its support. However to allow BAI time to continue its efforts to diversify its sources of funding, we agreed, exceptionally, to provide further funding amounting to £0.85 million over three years in support of their three-year business plan.

This time-bound grant funding has now come to an end. However, we have in the past few years regularly encouraged BAI to apply for DFID funding that is available to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through our Civil Society Challenge Fund and Partnership Programme Agreements. While we recognise that there is strong competition among NGOs for the resources available we do hope that BAI will apply.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor said in his reply to the hon. Member for Ludlow on 10 May 2007, Official Report, columns 287-88, this Government have doubled the amount of money invested in schools, teachers, books and education generally in areas of Africa where BAI operate. We believe that BAI’s knowledge and experience of books provision and library services in Africa after many years of DFID funding will continue to help Governments develop library and information services, and that they will remain an important development partner in the region.