Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 21 March (HL3106), where the National Muslim War Memorial will be situated; and, if not in Westminster, for what reason.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Further information regarding the process for establishing a new Muslim War Memorial will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the National Muslim War Memorial will not be situated in Westminster.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 6 March the Chancellor announced funding of up to £1million for a new war memorial to recognise the sacrifice and duty of Muslim soldiers who fought and died for this country in both world wars.
It will be a visible reminder of the important contributions of Muslims to British history, and will promote shared values amongst people of all backgrounds through building a better understanding of faith groups’ contribution to wider society. Further information will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which genocides, other than Jewish, will be included in the Holocaust Learning Centre planned for Victoria Tower Gardens; on what criteria they have been selected; whether representatives of those affected communities have been consulted concerning their inclusion; and whether those communities have been asked to contribute to the cost of the Learning Centre.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Learning Centre, co-located with the Holocaust Memorial, will ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are told with honesty and clarity; it will also address subsequent genocides. Information about the Learning Centre themes was presented at the planning inquiry and is available on the Westminster City Council website: cd_8.9_proof_of_evidence_of_stephen_greenberg_1.pdf (westminster.gov.uk)
The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise.
The current forecast cost (£138.8 million, excluding contingency) for completion of the proposed Holocaust Memorial is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 June 2023 (UIN HLWS875). An independent charity, The Holocaust Memorial Charitable Trust, Chaired by Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, will lead the effort to secure pledges towards the fundraising campaign.
Extensive consultation on the proposals has been carried out over many years, with contributions from a wide range of individuals and communities across the country.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what will be the theme of each of the exhibition rooms constituting the Holocaust Learning Centre planned for Victoria Tower Gardens.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Learning Centre, co-located with the Holocaust Memorial, will ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are told with honesty and clarity; it will also address subsequent genocides. Information about the Learning Centre themes was presented at the planning inquiry and is available on the Westminster City Council website: cd_8.9_proof_of_evidence_of_stephen_greenberg_1.pdf (westminster.gov.uk)
The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise.
The current forecast cost (£138.8 million, excluding contingency) for completion of the proposed Holocaust Memorial is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 June 2023 (UIN HLWS875). An independent charity, The Holocaust Memorial Charitable Trust, Chaired by Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, will lead the effort to secure pledges towards the fundraising campaign.
Extensive consultation on the proposals has been carried out over many years, with contributions from a wide range of individuals and communities across the country.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they have carried out with UK Jewish communities which are not part of the United Synagogue concerning the planned Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Learning Centre, co-located with the Holocaust Memorial, will ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are told with honesty and clarity; it will also address subsequent genocides. Information about the Learning Centre themes was presented at the planning inquiry and is available on the Westminster City Council website: cd_8.9_proof_of_evidence_of_stephen_greenberg_1.pdf (westminster.gov.uk)
The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise.
The current forecast cost (£138.8 million, excluding contingency) for completion of the proposed Holocaust Memorial is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 June 2023 (UIN HLWS875). An independent charity, The Holocaust Memorial Charitable Trust, Chaired by Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, will lead the effort to secure pledges towards the fundraising campaign.
Extensive consultation on the proposals has been carried out over many years, with contributions from a wide range of individuals and communities across the country.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the cost of building the planned Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Learning Centre, co-located with the Holocaust Memorial, will ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are told with honesty and clarity; it will also address subsequent genocides. Information about the Learning Centre themes was presented at the planning inquiry and is available on the Westminster City Council website: cd_8.9_proof_of_evidence_of_stephen_greenberg_1.pdf (westminster.gov.uk)
The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise.
The current forecast cost (£138.8 million, excluding contingency) for completion of the proposed Holocaust Memorial is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 June 2023 (UIN HLWS875). An independent charity, The Holocaust Memorial Charitable Trust, Chaired by Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, will lead the effort to secure pledges towards the fundraising campaign.
Extensive consultation on the proposals has been carried out over many years, with contributions from a wide range of individuals and communities across the country.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what response they made to the request by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that the plan to build a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens on the Westminster World Heritage site be abandoned; and what discussions they had with the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in 2023 about that matter.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government noted that the independent planning inspector concluded, following an extensive public inquiry in 2020, that “…the proposed UKHMLC would not result in compromise to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site because it does not harm it or its setting, thus conserving it”. DCMS, acting as State Party to the World Heritage Convention, will continue to keep UNESCO updated.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what options they are considering for the future management of the parts of Victoria Tower Gardens which will not be occupied by the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
Answered by Baroness Penn
Decisions on the future management arrangements for Victoria Tower Gardens will be agreed in good time before the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre opens.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements, if any, they have made to transfer control of all or part of Victoria Tower Gardens to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, or another department, to enable the planned construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and whether they intend to attach conditions to such a transfer to safeguard the interests of the Gardens' current users.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Government’s aim, as part of the programme to establish the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, is to enhance Victoria Tower Gardens so that they can continue to be appreciated by everyone living in, working in or visiting the area. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are discussing the arrangements which can best ensure safe and efficient construction while maintaining access to the Gardens. Those arrangements may include transfer of title for part of the gardens, especially in order to provide a suitably long lease for the Memorial and Learning Centre.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the planned contents of each exhibition room in the proposed Holocaust Memorial Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
Cost estimates for excavation at the chosen site are commercially sensitive and not suitable for publication at this time. No estimates have been made for locating the Learning Centre at a hypothetical site.
Information about the Learning Centre's content was presented at the public inquiry and is available on the Westminster City Council website: westminster.gov.uk/sites/default/files/cd_8.9_proof_of_evidence_of_stephen_greenberg_1.pdf .