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.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 international counterparts on the protection of Christians in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports the right to freedom of religion or belief for all and regularly raises the importance of religious tolerance and the protection of rights for all Sri Lankans to practise their faith. Our High Commission in Colombo regularly meet government and religious leaders, including affected minorities and civil society, to hear their concerns and support interfaith dialogues and counter discrimination work based on religion or belief. During her visit to Sri Lanka in January 2025, the former Minister for the Indo-Pacific met activists working on freedom of religion or belief issues to reaffirm the UK's commitment to protecting these fundamental rights. More recently, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific met the Sri Lankan Speaker, Justice Minister and wider ministerial delegation in October and discussed the importance of respecting human rights and having an inclusive and transparent process as part of Sri Lanka's reconciliation.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with their Indian counterparts concerning recent reports of increasing arrests of Muslims in BJP-controlled states; and what diplomatic steps they are taking to protect that community.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government is committed to freedom of religion and faith for all, and to the protection of religious minorities. We condemn all forms of intimidation or persecution against individuals based on their religion or belief. Our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India track developments in this space and engage with civil society organisations and religious representatives to promote tolerance and respect between communities.