Asked by: Lord Moraes (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking, if any, in response to the British Muslim Trust report, A summer of division: The nationwide surge in anti-Muslim hate, that between July and October 25 mosques were targeted in 27 attacks, with some mosques targeted repeatedly.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The surge in anti-Muslim hatred is deeply alarming. Recent hate crime statistics showed 45% of religious hate crimes targeted Muslims – a record high. This is unacceptable, and we must have zero tolerance of anti-Muslim hatred in any form.
The Government established an independent working group to advise government on a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, and how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. The group have now provided their advice to Ministers who will rightly take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.
The British Muslim Trust will receive funding to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims.
Up to £39.4 million is available for protective security at mosques and Muslim faith schools in 2025/26. This includes additional funding announced by the Prime Minister of £10 million to further strengthen security at mosques and other Muslim community sites.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to support cross-community interfaith work.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Interfaith relations are vital for strong, cohesive communities. The government is funding Inter Faith Week 2025 next week as a key moment in the national calendar for dialogue, learning, and connection between faiths and beliefs. I am sure many Hon Members will take part in events in their constituencies.
Alongside this, MHCLG funds programmes including Near Neighbours and Schools Linking which promote understanding across diverse communities.
The government will always champion faith and freedom or religion or belief at home and abroad.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) Christian, (b) Muslim, (c) Jewish and (d) other faith communities are able to access timely security support in instances where they are targeted by extremist or far-right activity.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
In 2025/26, up to £70.9 million is available to protect faith communities. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques scheme and for security at Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million for the places of worship and associated faith community centres of all other faiths. In addition, up to £10 million of emergency funding has been made available for both Jewish and Muslim communities each to further strengthen security measures at their places of worship and other community sites.
In response to public disorder in August 2024, the Home Office introduced a rapid protective security response process as a temporary measure for places of worship at risk of imminent violent disorder or in the immediate aftermath of such an incident. We provided security to over 700 places of worship during this period.
This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) police forces and (b) councils in responding to hate-motivated vandalism of places of worship.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, and whoever is responsible for committing it. We are actively seeking to ensure the safety and protection of all individuals and communities across England and Wales.
In 2025/26, up to £70.9 million is available to protect faith communities. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques scheme and for security at Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million for the places of worship and associated faith community centres of all other faiths. In addition, up to £10 million of emergency funding has been made available for both Jewish and Muslim communities each to further strengthen security measures at their places of worship and other community sites.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing the subsidy for Ofsted inspections on independent religious schools in (a) Leicester and (b) England.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department launched an eight-week consultation on 25 September 2025 on the subject of reducing the subsidy for Ofsted inspection fees. The consultation document is publicly available and sets out how Ofsted-inspected private schools will be affected by the proposed fee increases.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of protective security measures for (a) churches and (b) other places of worship which have experienced (i) vandalism and (ii) intimidation.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
The Home Office continues to assess and respond to the security needs of places of worship through our protective security schemes for faith communities.
In 2025/26, up to £70.9 million is available to protect faith communities. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and for security at Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million for the places of worship and associated faith community centres of all other faiths.
Up to £10 million of additional emergency funding has also been made available for protective security for both Jewish and Muslim communities to further strengthen security measures at their places of worship and other community sites.
The Government remains in close contact with law enforcement partners to ensure that protective security measures remain effective and responsive to emerging threats.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what further steps he plans take to help tackle (a) Islamophobic and (b) antisemitic hate crime in London.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In response to the concerning rise in both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, the Government is absolutely committed to rooting out these forms of hatred. We continue to work across government on security, education and working alongside local government, including via the following.
An Antisemitism Working Group has been established to advise the Government on effective strategies to tackle hate against Jewish communities and will explore how the Government should engage with Jewish communities in relation to international, national, and local events that impact British Jews. In addition, the Government continues to work with the independent advisor Lord Mann in combating antisemitism through meaningful engagement with diverse communities.
The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia. The working group have engaged widely to ensure their proposed definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of communities across the United Kingdom.
The government also funds the British Muslim Trust to deliver a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and provide support to victims, and True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report to the police.
In response to the Manchester terror attack, Home Office, DfE and DHSC have increased funding to support policing, security and education to tackle antisemitism. Jewish communities will receive up to £10 million in an emergency cash injection to scale up security at synagogues and schools, taking funding to protect faith communities to record levels. As part of the DfE’s committed £7 million to tackling antisemitism in schools, universities and colleges, a £4 million innovation fund will be launched in late November to provide an opportunity for organisations to come up with innovative means to tackle antisemitism in education. NHS England will also roll out updated mandatory antisemitism and anti-racism training for all 1.5 million NHS staff.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding is available to support interfaith projects aimed at promoting community cohesion.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Interfaith relations are vital for strong, cohesive communities.
The government has provided funding for this year’s Inter Faith Week in November, which will provide a national platform for fostering positive interfaith relations across our communities and schools. Alongside this, the government supports grassroots interfaith relations via our funding to Near Neighbours and Schools Linking, which promote dialogue, youth engagement, and neighbourhood cohesion across different backgrounds and faiths.
The government has launched the new Common Ground Award to provide direct capital investment to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across England. This funding will support those committed to building meaningful connection across communities, including between faith groups.
Asked by: Baroness Warsi (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to mosques and Islamic centres to strengthen security following recent vandalism, desecration, and threats of violence.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is no excuse for violence or threats targeted at Muslim communities and we support the police in taking strong action against those who carry out these crimes.
The Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to practise their religion freely at their chosen places of worship and community centres. We regularly work closely with the police to assess threats and review the protections in place for communities.
The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides protective security measures, such as security personnel services, CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing, to mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres. These protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools. We have made up to £29.4 million available for this important work in 2025/26.
Asked by: Baroness Warsi (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent series of attacks on mosques across the UK in August and September.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is no excuse for violence or threats targeted at Muslim communities and we support the police in taking strong action against those who carry out these crimes.
The Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to practise their religion freely at their chosen places of worship and community centres. We regularly work closely with the police to assess threats and review the protections in place for communities.
The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides protective security measures, such as security personnel services, CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing, to mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres. These protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools. We have made up to £29.4 million available for this important work in 2025/26.