Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the promotion of the military wing of Hezbollah in the UK.

Hizballah's External Security Organisation was proscribed in March 2001 and in 2008 the proscription was extended to Hizballah's military apparatus including the Jihad Council.

Proscription means that an organisation is outlawed and is unable to operate in the UK. It is a criminal offence for a person to:
• belong to or invite support for a proscribed organisation;
• arrange a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation;
• wear clothing or carry articles in public which arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of the proscribed organisation.

The penalties for proscription offences can be a maximum of 10 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.