Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to ensure the objectivity of the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.

The working group includes members from a cross-section of society and have been selected for their technical expertise and experience and ability to work to deliver the objectives of the group.

The Terms of Reference and full membership of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Working Group were published on Monday 24 March. Per the Terms of Reference, the Group is an independent, non-statutory body. These also set a requirement for group members to immediately raise any potential conflicts of interest with MHCLG.

The group will make evidence-based recommendations for ministers to consider, informed by engagement with a wide cross section of individuals and organisations from across the sector.

A Call for Evidence was recently published on gov.uk to ensure that the advice provided to Government reflects the diverse experiences and opinions of our faith communities’ and beyond across the country.