Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to include religious leaders and faith based civil society groups from Israel and Palestine that are committed to peace building and reconciliation in the conference at Lancaster House on 12 March regarding the establishment of an international peace fund for Israel and Palestine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We will announce further details in the near future of the 12 March conference to help establish an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce knife crime in rural areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are already making clear progress against our ambition to halve knife crime. In our first year, police-recorded knife crime offences fell by 5%, the first reduction in four years.
Knife homicides have also fallen by almost 20% over the last year, and we have seen a 10% reduction in hospital admissions for stabbings.
Whilst most knife crime occurs in urban centres, our national target to halve knife crime and whole society approach will reach every area. Our approach to tackling knife crime is centred around targeted interventions and enforcement, tough new legislation to remove dangerous weapons from our streets and working across government to tackle the root causes of knife crime where they are needed most.
We have banned zombie knives and ninja swords and are holding online sellers criminally responsible removing almost 60,000 knives from streets in England and Wales. We are taking a range of action in the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen legislation on knives.
New crime mapping tools are already allowing us to identify highly specific knife crime hotspots and focus police and community safety resources where they are needed most. Further investment in cutting-edge capabilities, such as knife detection technology, improved data platforms, and live facial recognition will further enhance our ability to target knife crime.
Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of this Parliament, including up to 3,000 by March 2026. It will also ensure that every community, including rural communities, has named and contactable officers they can turn to.
This Government is clear that when you report a crime, it should be properly investigated with victims having faith that justice will be delivered, and criminals will be punished – no matter where you live. Rural communities can be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to reclassify crimes against churches as hate crimes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, including that directed at Christians and Christian places of worship.
Churches occupy a valuable position in society through their access to citizens, their role within local communities and their good relationships with other faith groups and this Government is committed to protecting individuals' right to practise their religion freely at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
The Government has extended the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme for 2025/26, which gives grants towards VAT paid on repairs and renovations to the nation's listed sites of worship across the UK, which includes churches. Churches are also eligible for funded protective security measures through the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme. This scheme offers physical security enhancements, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing.
Crimes against churches can already be recorded as hate crimes. Any religiously aggravated criminal damage is an offence under section 30 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, carrying a higher maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment. An offence is considered religiously aggravated, if at or around the time of committing the offence, the offender demonstrates hostility towards a religious group, therefore, including any crimes against churches.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to support churches which have been damaged through criminal activity.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, including that directed at Christians and Christian places of worship.
Churches occupy a valuable position in society through their access to citizens, their role within local communities and their good relationships with other faith groups and this Government is committed to protecting individuals' right to practise their religion freely at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
The Government has extended the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme for 2025/26, which gives grants towards VAT paid on repairs and renovations to the nation's listed sites of worship across the UK, which includes churches. Churches are also eligible for funded protective security measures through the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme. This scheme offers physical security enhancements, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing.
Crimes against churches can already be recorded as hate crimes. Any religiously aggravated criminal damage is an offence under section 30 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, carrying a higher maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment. An offence is considered religiously aggravated, if at or around the time of committing the offence, the offender demonstrates hostility towards a religious group, therefore, including any crimes against churches.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 24 November (HL11698 and HL11699), what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about targeted killings, UK arms exports, and the support provided to civil society and faith-based organisations working to address religiously-targeted violence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the written statement that I made to the House on 27 November (UIN HLWS1104).
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new fee paying and charity run religious schools on community cohesion and social mixing among young people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Faith schools have played a longstanding role in, and remain an important element of, our education system. However, we are not expecting an increase in the number of new faith schools. In the current context of falling rolls, we expect there to be less demand for new school places and fewer new schools overall.
Departmental guidance on establishing new state funded schools sets out expectations on considering the impact of new schools on community cohesion. Where proposals for new independent schools are submitted, approvals are needed from the department and Ofsted
All schools have a vital role in promoting cohesion and are required to actively promote fundamental British values, which include mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs, essential for building a strong, cohesive society.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Reform UK - East Wiltshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on the social boycott against Christians in Andhra Pradesh; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help protect that community.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to promoting and protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. 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: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to civil-society and faith-based organisations in Nigeria working to address religiously-targeted violence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I provided on 24 November to Question HL11756.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the private sector organisations given advance sight of the Strategic Defence Review prior to its publication.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As the hon. Member will be aware, the Secretary of State for Defence has been determined to reset the relationship between Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, increasing transparency and openness. The Department sought to reflect this determination for the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), and to build on the approach made for previous defence reviews.
On the day of the launch, we offered embargoed copies of the SDR to key stakeholders, including the House of Commons Defence Committee, certain industry representatives and others. This was done in good faith, reflecting the contribution by stakeholders to the first-of-its-kind review.
The list of industry representatives that read the SDR in this manner is below:
Group 1 | ||
MBDA |
| Thales |
Leidos |
| Rolls-Royce |
Airbus Defence & Space |
| BAE Systems |
Leonardo |
| Babcock |
Lockheed Martin |
| ADS |
Boeing Defence UK |
| techUK |
QinetiQ |
| MakeUK |
Group 2 | ||
Adarga Ltd |
| Lockheed Martin |
ADS |
| Make UK |
Airbus |
| MDBA |
Anduril |
| Microsoft |
Asia Group |
| Mitre |
Atlas-Elektronik |
| Newton Europe |
Babcock |
| Nortal |
BAE Systems |
| Northrup Grumman |
Boeing |
| Palantir |
Callen-Lenz |
| QinetiQ |
Capewell |
| Raytheon |
CGI |
| Rheinmetall |
Chemring |
| Rolls Royce |
Decision Analysis Services |
| SAAB |
DXC |
| Serco |
Elbit Systems |
| Society of Maritime Institutes |
Fujitsu |
| Spirit Aerosystems |
General Dynamics |
| TechUK |
Ginkgo Bioworks |
| Tetra Tech |
Hanwha |
| Thales |
Helsing AI |
| The MTC |
HVM Catapult |
| UK DSC |
L3 Harris |
| Ultra Maritime |
Leidos |
|
|
Leonardo |
|
|
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of India regarding freedom of religion or belief in that country, and what other steps they are taking to support freedom of religion or belief there.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains committed to promoting and protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally, and we continue to support civil society organisations and faith leaders who work to foster tolerance and inclusion. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy on FoRB, David Smith MP, plays an important role in championing religious freedom globally. We continue to monitor reports of religiously motivated violence and discrimination and raise concerns where appropriate, encouraging adherence to constitutional and international human rights commitments.