Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the monitoring of domestic extremist groups.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is delivering a fundamental reset of how we counter extremism, ensuring we have the tools, capabilities, and partnerships to match the scale and nature of an evolving threat.
As announced in the Government’s Protecting What Matters publication, the Home Office is expanding the Prevent Disruptions team, which horizon scans for extremist influence and events, with additional resource to understand and disrupt extremist networks at a national and local level. This builds on strong action by the team over the past two years, where the highest harm extremists from across the political spectrum were targeted and stopped from spreading their divisive views.
We will also publish an annual ‘State of Extremism’ report which will arm frontline, public sector workers with the information they need to identify and confront extremism in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve information sharing between the Community Security Trust and the Counter Terrorism Policing Operations Centre.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of effective engagement between policing and communities, including representative bodies, in protecting communities from hate crime, terrorism, and wider security threats.
Whilst it would not be appropriate to comment on specific arrangements, the Government continues to support strong partnership working between the police and communities, including through established relationships with organisations such as the Community Security Trust.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering further legislative measures to strengthen the UK's response to hostile state espionage.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Security Act 2023 overhauled and updated our espionage offences and created a suite of measures to enable our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to deter, detect and disrupt the full range of modern-day state threats.
The Government keeps all counter-espionage legislation under review to ensure it continues to allow us to tackle the growing and diversifying range of state threats that have evolved since the UK last substantively legislated on this issue.
Last year, the previous Home Secretary commissioned Jonathan Hall KC (the Independent Reviewer of State Threats Legislation) to conduct a review evaluating what powers under terrorism legislation could be emulated to tackle state-based security threats to the UK. Mr Hall KC recommended introducing a State Threats Proscription-style Tool that would be more effective in disrupting state-linked organisations, along with several other recommendations. The Government will legislate to take forward these recommendations, as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of UK-based organisations with connections to the Iranian regime.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We work closely with a range of partners to tackle malign state-backed influence in our society. Where there is clear evidence that Iranian-linked or aligned organisations are undertaking unacceptable activity, the Government will respond accordingly.
We have introduced a comprehensive set of additional measures aimed at countering threats posed by the Iranian regime.
The enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) requires individuals and organisations to register arrangements with specified foreign powers or entities that may pose a risk to the UK's safety and interests.
We have placed the entire Iranian State on the enhanced tier of FIRS. This means that anyone being directed to do any activity in the UK on behalf of the Iranian government faces a choice between registering with the scheme or committing a criminal offence punishable by a substantial fine or up to five years in prison.
The Government's top priority is national security, and we will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from any Iran-linked threats.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review charity law to address risks arising from foreign state influence operations.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Charity Commission’s recent Charity Sector Risk Assessment noted that hostile foreign states may seek to gain influence in the UK by using charities as a vehicle for promoting their worldview. The Charity Commission is alive to these threats and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited.
The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.
The Charity Commission currently has three statutory inquiries open involving charities with alleged links to Iran: the Islamic Centre of England, Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust and Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, as well as other non-inquiry casework.
The Charity Commission has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes and earlier this month published updated guidance for charities on the evolving situation in Iran.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many charities are currently subject to investigation by the Charity Commission because of alleged links with the Iranian regime.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Charity Commission’s recent Charity Sector Risk Assessment noted that hostile foreign states may seek to gain influence in the UK by using charities as a vehicle for promoting their worldview. The Charity Commission is alive to these threats and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited.
The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.
The Charity Commission currently has three statutory inquiries open involving charities with alleged links to Iran: the Islamic Centre of England, Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust and Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, as well as other non-inquiry casework.
The Charity Commission has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes and earlier this month published updated guidance for charities on the evolving situation in Iran.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish guidance for charities on avoiding foreign state influence or infiltration.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Charity Commission’s recent Charity Sector Risk Assessment noted that hostile foreign states may seek to gain influence in the UK by using charities as a vehicle for promoting their worldview. The Charity Commission is alive to these threats and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited.
The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.
The Charity Commission currently has three statutory inquiries open involving charities with alleged links to Iran: the Islamic Centre of England, Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust and Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, as well as other non-inquiry casework.
The Charity Commission has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes and earlier this month published updated guidance for charities on the evolving situation in Iran.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of charities as vehicles for foreign state influence operations.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Charity Commission’s recent Charity Sector Risk Assessment noted that hostile foreign states may seek to gain influence in the UK by using charities as a vehicle for promoting their worldview. The Charity Commission is alive to these threats and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited.
The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.
The Charity Commission currently has three statutory inquiries open involving charities with alleged links to Iran: the Islamic Centre of England, Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust and Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, as well as other non-inquiry casework.
The Charity Commission has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes and earlier this month published updated guidance for charities on the evolving situation in Iran.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Charity Commission has sufficient powers to suspend or remove charitable status where organisations are suspected of promoting the interests of hostile foreign governments.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Charity Commission’s recent Charity Sector Risk Assessment noted that hostile foreign states may seek to gain influence in the UK by using charities as a vehicle for promoting their worldview. The Charity Commission is alive to these threats and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited.
The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.
The Charity Commission currently has three statutory inquiries open involving charities with alleged links to Iran: the Islamic Centre of England, Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust and Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, as well as other non-inquiry casework.
The Charity Commission has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes and earlier this month published updated guidance for charities on the evolving situation in Iran.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria were used to determine which of the regions that were in receipt of the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund will not receive future funding.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the decision to reduce UK ODA to fund an increase in defence spending and Defra receiving a reduced ODA budget in SR25 the criteria used to determine which Biodiverse Landscapes Fund regions would not receive future funding primarily focused on project performance and delivery.