Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places of worship in the (a) UK and (b) City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council area have applied for funding under the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme since its introduction; and how much funding has been allocated under that scheme to places of worship in the (a) UK and (b) City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council area.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Data on Places of Worship is collated by geographic region.
In the first three years of the scheme (2016-2019), we received 431 applications across England and Wales. For the fourth year of the scheme (2019-2020), we received 531 applications, of which 377 met the minimum requirements for consideration. We have awarded approximately £3.4 million to places of worship across England and Wales.
Over the past four years we have received 124 applications from Yorkshire and Humber, and we have allocated £665,524 in funding to that region.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding each faith has applied for under the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme since its introduction.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In the first three years of the scheme (2016-2019), £800,000 was available each year. In the fourth year (2019-2020) this was doubled to £1.6 million. All faiths, apart from the Jewish faith, are eligible to apply for funding under this scheme. The Jewish community has access to a separate funding scheme.
Over the last four years, we have allocated £1,643,732 to mosques, £869,858 to churches, £210,989 to temples, and £676,115 to gurdwaras.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated to each faith under the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme since the introduction of that scheme.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In the first three years of the scheme (2016-2019), £800,000 was available each year. In the fourth year (2019-2020) this was doubled to £1.6 million. All faiths, apart from the Jewish faith, are eligible to apply for funding under this scheme. The Jewish community has access to a separate funding scheme.
Over the last four years, we have allocated £1,643,732 to mosques, £869,858 to churches, £210,989 to temples, and £676,115 to gurdwaras.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken ensure stakeholder engagement with her Department's consultation entitled, Protecting places of worship consultation, issued on 15 March 2020.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office met with a number of stakeholders representing various faiths and organisations in order to shape and develop the consultation before launch. These included, but were not limited to, the Community Security Trust (CST), Tell MAMA, Church of England and City Sikhs, as well as interfaith organisations including Stregthening Faith Institutions.
In addition, the Home Office consulted with other government departments including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department of Education. Key stakeholders were also supplied with an early version of the consultation and the draft was reviewed based on their feedback.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral statement of 7 May 2019 on Places of Worship: Security Funding, Official Report, column 468, whether places of faith other than places of worship will qualify for funding for the Ramadan Package.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Following the attacks in New Zealand, we recognised the increased security anxieties being felt by mosques as we approach Ramadan. A security training scheme commenced on the 5 May. We originally committed to 12 workshops but following significant interest we have agreed to fund an additional 10 workshops during Ramadan.
These workshops have been open to faith leaders and have not been restricted to those who have experienced a previous hate crime. We have also made available funds to pay for the distribution of written advice to mosques, community centres and madrassahs. This is a short-term project for which we have awarded grant funding of £74,725 that will sit alongside the wider £5m fund that has been announced for security training for all faiths.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the security funding for places of worship has been allocated to protect (a) Mosques and (b) other Muslim places of faith since 2016.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Over its first three years, the Places of Worship protective security scheme has approved grants worth approximately £1.5m to 134 places of worship. During that time, Ministers have approved 49 grants to mosques worth £638,906.34.
Following the Finsbury Park terror attack in June 2017, we also announced a £1m fund to protect vulnerable faith institutions. Under this scheme, we approved funding to 38 faith institutions including 19 mosques and one Muslim community centre. These grants were worth over £260,000.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral statement of 7 May 2019 on Places of Worship: Security Funding, Official Report, column 468, whether places of worship will be required to demonstrate proof of a previous attack to qualify for the Ramadan Package.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Following the attacks in New Zealand, we recognised the increased security anxieties being felt by mosques as we approach Ramadan. A security training scheme commenced on the 5 May. We originally committed to 12 workshops but following significant interest we have agreed to fund an additional 10 workshops during Ramadan.
These workshops have been open to faith leaders and have not been restricted to those who have experienced a previous hate crime. We have also made available funds to pay for the distribution of written advice to mosques, community centres and madrassahs. This is a short-term project for which we have awarded grant funding of £74,725 that will sit alongside the wider £5m fund that has been announced for security training for all faiths.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral statement of 7 May 2019 on Places of Worship: Security Funding, Official Report,column 468, how much funding his Department has allocated to date from the Ramadan Package.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Following the attacks in New Zealand, we recognised the increased security anxieties being felt by mosques as we approach Ramadan. A security training scheme commenced on the 5 May. We originally committed to 12 workshops but following significant interest we have agreed to fund an additional 10 workshops during Ramadan.
These workshops have been open to faith leaders and have not been restricted to those who have experienced a previous hate crime. We have also made available funds to pay for the distribution of written advice to mosques, community centres and madrassahs. This is a short-term project for which we have awarded grant funding of £74,725 that will sit alongside the wider £5m fund that has been announced for security training for all faiths.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh have made an application to enter the UK since August 2017.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The information requested is not published.
The Government of Bangladesh does not currently permit refugees living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to leave the camps either for the purpose of making a visa application or to leave Bangladesh to travel to a third country.
The Government has raised this issue of exit permits with the Government of Bangladesh, but the Government of Bangladesh position remains unchanged.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh have entered the UK since August 2017.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The information requested is not published.
The Government of Bangladesh does not currently permit refugees living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to leave the camps either for the purpose of making a visa application or to leave Bangladesh to travel to a third country.
The Government has raised this issue of exit permits with the Government of Bangladesh, but the Government of Bangladesh position remains unchanged.