Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what independent external evaluation arrangements have been established for the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Details of the monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the Child Poverty Strategy are available in Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty: Monitoring and Evaluation - Baseline Report - GOV.UK.
As set out in the Baseline Report, we are committed to wide-reaching engagement with external stakeholders and experts to inform delivery and evaluation of the Strategy and support wider anti-poverty work.
This includes structured engagement through stakeholder and delivery partner forums, including with local partners, business, faith and civil society groups with lived experience, a programme of place-based research to capture regional and community level insights, and ongoing guidance from our Expert Analytical Panel to provide their independent expertise. Furthermore, we encourage ongoing evidence submissions and shaping of future research priorities.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with European counterparts in the past 12 months on the impact of religious registration requirements on smaller religious or belief communities in Slovakia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by the Minister for Multilateral and Human Rights on 18 March to Question 119359, which I have included below for ease:
The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We recognise that every day, people around the world face persecution or discrimination on the basis of their religion or belief, including Christians. The UK's FoRB Strategy, set out by the Special Envoy last July, continues to guide our international engagement. We regularly raise FoRB concerns with governments worldwide and support locally led interfaith initiatives in regions experiencing acute religious persecution.
Through the UN, G7, and the Article 18 Alliance, the UK works with partners to highlight violations, promote reform of discriminatory laws, and advocate for individuals facing persecution. At the Alliance's fifth‑anniversary event in November, the Special Envoy called for deeper collective action and greater integration of FoRB into responses to global challenges such as conflict, development, and displacement.
We are strengthening coordination with international partners, including the United States and European counterparts, to ensure more coherent global advocacy and more responsive mechanisms to address emerging FoRB crises. We also work closely with civil society, faith leaders and human rights defenders to ensure that the experiences of those most at risk shape our policy and international advocacy.
The UK will continue to champion the right to freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 10 September 2025 (HL10181), what progress they have made in relation to plans to provide up £1 million to build a War Memorial to those of Muslim faith who gave their lives in two World Wars.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Muslims made a vital contribution to the defence of this country in both World Wars, including an estimated 400,000 who served during the First World War. Their courage and sacrifice helped protect the freedoms and values that underpin our society today.
The government is progressing plans to provide up to £970,000 in funding, through a competitive process, to build a Muslim War Memorial to honour these contributions. The competition opened on 10 June 2026 and will close on 21 July 2026.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his department has had with faith groups and local authorities promoting faith covenants since the Prime Minister’s commitment in June 2024.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
This Government recognises the value of partnership working at the local level to support communities, including between faith and belief groups and local authorities. Faith Covenants are an important example of such partnerships.
The Civil Society Covenant is a principles-based foundation for resetting the relationship between the public sector and civil society. Faith and belief groups are explicitly recognised as valued partners within the Civil Society Covenant.
The new Civil Society Council, which includes representatives from the Voluntary, Community, and Faith sectors, provides a central forum to identify opportunities for civil society to play a greater role in the design and delivery of policies and services.
Our recently launched £11.59 million Local Covenant Partnerships (LCP) Fund puts many of the Covenant’s principles into practice. The LCP Fund will invest in 15 places across England to develop innovative partnership models between civil society organisations and local public sector bodies.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking in response to the implementation of anti-conversion laws in India.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The UK continues to track these issues and to promote religious freedom and tolerance. Our High Commission in New Delhi, along with our network of Deputy High Commissions, monitors the human rights situation closely. We also engage with civil society and faith leaders to support efforts to promote tolerance and respect between communities.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to the Indian authorities regarding the reports of three Baptist pastors being shot dead in the Indian state of Manipur on Wednesday, May 13, while traveling home from a church peace conference.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
Our High Commission in New Delhi, along with our network of Deputy High Commissions, monitors human rights closely, including issues affecting ethnic and religious communities in Manipur, where there has been significant conflict since 2023. Our diplomatic network in India engages with civil society and faith leaders to support efforts to promote tolerance and respect between communities. We have a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and are able to discuss a wide range of issues.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Protecting What Matters (CP 1540), published on 9 March, how they plan to gauge current levels of faith and belief literacy in government; how they plan to identify ways to upskill and develop an approach that improves the quality and inclusivity of policy making; and which authorities, individuals, groups, organisations, businesses or bodies will be consulted on the issue.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. The Government is committed to building a Britain where all communities feel safe, and where the contributions of people of many faiths and beliefs are warmly welcomed and richly valued. Supporting faith and belief literacy in government and wider society is crucial to achieving these objectives.
Protecting What Matters sets out our commitment to faith and belief literacy, both within government and across society as a whole. This work is still in its early stages and my officials will be conducting engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Protecting What Matters (CP 1540), published on 9 March, what plans they have to strengthen faith and belief literacy across society as a whole; and which authorities, individuals, groups, organisations, businesses or bodies will be consulted on this issue.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. The Government is committed to building a Britain where all communities feel safe, and where the contributions of people of many faiths and beliefs are warmly welcomed and richly valued. Supporting faith and belief literacy in government and wider society is crucial to achieving these objectives.
Protecting What Matters sets out our commitment to faith and belief literacy, both within government and across society as a whole. This work is still in its early stages and my officials will be conducting engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international counterparts on the case of Father Pereira; and what representations she has made to her Indian counterpart on freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
Our High Commission in New Delhi, along with our network of Deputy High Commissions, monitors the human rights situation in India closely, including issues affecting Christian communities. We also engage with civil society and faith leaders to support efforts to promote tolerance and respect between communities.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of whether the stakeholder engagement undertaken during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent attached equal weight to views expressed by (a) faith groups and (b) non-religious belief organisations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Independent Review of Prevent was undertaken independently of the Home Office. When conducting the review, Sir William Shawcross independently and autonomously gathered feedback from a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Prevent partners. This includes both faith-based and non-religious organisations. Any groups who were consulted were made aware of the Privacy Notice associated with the review. This makes clear that any evidence was collected on a confidential and, where requested, anonymous basis. All feedback was recorded with the aim of understanding how well Prevent operates, to help the government develop the strategy and policies to help safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism. Decisions on how the evidence was assessed and weighted were a matter for the Independent Reviewer. The recommendations made by the Independent Review of Prevent can be found in section eight of the Review, and the Government’s acknowledgement is detailed in the 2023 response. The Government’s current Prevent guidance is informed by these recommendations, rather than by direct use of any individual stakeholder feedback. |