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Written Question
Greater London: Religious Freedom
Thursday 21st July 2022

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the outcomes and recommendations of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, held in London between 5 and 7 July.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) hosted by the UK brought together governments, faith and belief leaders and civil society for discussions to address challenges to the right to FoRB. The Conference gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities pledged action in support of FoRB. Thirty countries joined the UK in signing up to a set of statements. My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Elizabeth Truss), outlined FCDO progress in implementing recommendations from the Bishop of Truro's report and noted the breadth of religion and belief groups that suffer from persecution. I [Lord Ahmad] announced new UK funding for support for defenders of FoRB, as well as funding and expertise for countries prepared to make legislative changes to protect FoRB.

FCDO policy on FoRB, and the work of the FoRB Special Envoy, is grounded in international human rights law and standards and recognises the interdependence of all human rights, and the importance of respect for the promotion of democracy, rule of law and stability around the world. The role of FoRB Special Envoy is an appointment made by the Prime Minister and currently held by Fiona Bruce MP. We work closely together to promote FoRB around the world. The Human Rights Act contains protections for the ECHR Article 9 right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the new Bill of Rights will continue this protection.


Written Question
Religious Freedom
Thursday 21st July 2022

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, they will (1) introduce a Religious Freedom Bill guaranteeing the provisions of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (2) make the appointment of a Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief a statutory requirement.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) hosted by the UK brought together governments, faith and belief leaders and civil society for discussions to address challenges to the right to FoRB. The Conference gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities pledged action in support of FoRB. Thirty countries joined the UK in signing up to a set of statements. My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Elizabeth Truss), outlined FCDO progress in implementing recommendations from the Bishop of Truro's report and noted the breadth of religion and belief groups that suffer from persecution. I [Lord Ahmad] announced new UK funding for support for defenders of FoRB, as well as funding and expertise for countries prepared to make legislative changes to protect FoRB.

FCDO policy on FoRB, and the work of the FoRB Special Envoy, is grounded in international human rights law and standards and recognises the interdependence of all human rights, and the importance of respect for the promotion of democracy, rule of law and stability around the world. The role of FoRB Special Envoy is an appointment made by the Prime Minister and currently held by Fiona Bruce MP. We work closely together to promote FoRB around the world. The Human Rights Act contains protections for the ECHR Article 9 right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the new Bill of Rights will continue this protection.


Written Question
India: Minority Groups
Thursday 14th July 2022

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the treatment of minorities in India.

Answered by Vicky Ford

The UK Government is committed to defending the rights of minorities, including Freedom of Religion or Belief for all, and promoting respect and tolerance between different communities. This includes hosting a recent international Ministerial Conference on 5 and 6 July which brought together governments, parliamentarians, faith and belief representatives, and civil society to strengthen international efforts to ensure freedom of religion or belief for everyone. India, like the UK, has a long democratic tradition of inclusive governance. We engage with India on a range of human rights matters and oppose discrimination against minorities. Where we have them and when appropriate to do so, we raise concerns directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level, while recognising that reports of discrimination against minorities are a matter for the Indian police and local legal system. The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions follow these reports closely.

Our network of High Commissions regularly engage with minority groups, meet representatives from minority communities and run projects supporting minority rights. Our project work primarily tackles the drivers of human rights violations, working with minority communities to encourage empowerment. We promote women's rights, promote the LGBT+ community in India and demonstrate our support. We also meet with religious representatives and, over the last three years in India, we have worked with local non-governmental organisations to bring together young people of diverse faith backgrounds to work together on social action projects in their local communities and build positive relationships between them.


Written Question
Sri Lanka: Religious Freedom
Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that UK (a) aid to and (b) trade deals with Sri Lanka are dependant on the protection of freedom of religious belief in that country.

Answered by Vicky Ford

The UK Government regularly raises the importance of religious tolerance and protecting the rights of all Sri Lankans to practise their faith. Staff at the British High Commission in Colombo regularly meet representatives of faith communities and affected ethnoreligious communities to hear their concerns. The High Commissioner most recently met with civil society delegates to the freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) ministerial conference. FoRB was a key theme during the Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad's visit to Sri Lanka in January 2022, where he also met faith leaders.

In March 2021, the UK Government and our Core Group partners led resolution 46/1 on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The resolution provides a framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation including FoRB. We have also provided funding from the UK's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to support work on social cohesion and countering hate speech. Sri Lanka has access to zero tariffs on certain exports to the UK as part of the Enhanced Framework of the UK's Generalised Scheme of Preferences. Countries that are part of the Enhanced Framework must implement 27 conventions relating to human and labour rights, the environment, and good governance.


Written Question
Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme
Wednesday 29th June 2022

Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people have been supported as part of the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme, by region.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

The Government's 2020/21 Faith, Race and Hate Crime (FRHC) Grant Scheme supported 9 organisations to run various innovative projects that championed our commitment to building a diverse and tolerant society for all faiths and races

Collectively, 48,300 young people and adults directly participated in the scheme.


Written Question
Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme
Wednesday 29th June 2022

Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

The Government's 2020/21 Faith, Race and Hate Crime (FRHC) Grant Scheme supported 9 organisations to run various innovative projects that championed our commitment to building a diverse and tolerant society for all faiths and races

Collectively, 48,300 young people and adults directly participated in the scheme.


Written Question
India: Religious Freedom
Friday 27th May 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had any recent discussions with Narendra Modi on the Bharatiya Janata Party's persecution of Muslims in India.

Answered by Vicky Ford

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all and promoting respect and tolerance between different religious and non-religious communities. We condemn any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. We engage with India on a range of human rights matters and where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, also regularly speaks to the High Commissioner of India, and human rights including freedom of religion or belief forms part of that dialogue.

The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions will continue to follow reports of violence and discrimination closely, while recognising that these are matters for India. It is for the Indian Government to address the concerns of all Indian citizens, regardless of faith. Our network of High Commissions across India also regularly meet religious representatives and have run projects supporting minority rights. For example, we have hosted Iftars to celebrate the important contribution Indian Muslims and other communities have made to Indian society. Moreover, we have supported a UK-India Interfaith Leadership Programme for a cohort of emerging Indian leaders of diverse faith backgrounds, creating an opportunity to exchange UK-India experiences on leading modern, inclusive communities.


Written Question
Islamophobia
Wednesday 25th May 2022

Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the University of Birmingham's The Dinner Table Prejudice report, published in January 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the rise in Islamophobia cited in that report; and what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on tackling Islamophobia.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

We live in an increasingly tolerant society and prejudice towards Muslims is unacceptable. Muslims in our country should be able to practice their faith in freedom. We have some of the strongest legislation in the world to tackle hate crime and, where groups incite racial hatred or are engaged in racially or religiously motivated criminal activity, we would expect them to be prosecuted. We also have funded Tell MAMA with over £4m between 2017 and 2022 to monitor anti-Muslim hate crimes and support victims.


Written Question
Schools: Antisemitism
Tuesday 24th May 2022

Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to protect Jewish (a) pupils and (b) teachers from anti-Semitic abuse in schools.

Answered by Robin Walker

The government is clear that antisemitism, as with all forms of bullying and hatred, is abhorrent and has no place in our schools. All educational institutions should be inclusive and welcoming for students and staff from all backgrounds.

The department is aware of reported increases in such incidents, during an escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May 2021, which is why the former Secretary of State for Education wrote to schools to remind them of their responsibilities to deal with antisemitic incidents with due seriousness as well as their legal duties regarding political impartiality. The department has also published further guidance on political impartiality in schools to help them to ensure educational initiatives in schools are not politically biased or one-sided.

The government continues to take action to support schools to tackle all forms of bullying, including antisemitism. Our Preventing and Tackling Bullying guidance sets out that schools should develop a consistent approach to monitoring bullying incidents and evaluating the effectiveness of their approaches. It also directs schools to organisations who can provide support with tackling bullying related to race, religion and nationality, as well as sexual harassment and sexual bullying.

The department is also providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of groups who share protected characteristics, including race and faith and belief, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying.

The government has also supported Holocaust education for many years and is fully committed to continuing this support. In recognition of its importance, the Holocaust is the only historic event which is compulsory within the national curriculum for history at key stage 3. Effective teaching about the Holocaust can support pupils to learn about the possible consequences of antisemitism and extremism, to understand how society can prevent the repeat of such a catastrophe. The department provides funding for several programmes to support school pupils’ and teachers’ understanding of the Holocaust.

The department has published guidance for schools on the Equality Act 2010, which sets out the general provisions that apply to schools in their role as employers. The guidance is clear that all of the protected characteristics are covered by these provisions and that harassment or victimisation against potential or existing employees in relation to any of the protected characteristics is unlawful. We encourage schools to consult the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance and Codes of Practice for Employers for more detailed information on their obligations to their teachers and other staff.


Written Question
India: Islam
Wednesday 27th April 2022

Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Indian counterpart regarding reports of increased (a) violence and (b) persecution against Muslims in India.

Answered by Vicky Ford

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all and promoting respect and tolerance between different religious and non-religious communities. We condemn any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. We engage with India on a range of human rights matters and where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, also regularly speaks to the High Commissioner of India, and human rights including freedom of religion or belief forms part of that dialogue.

The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India regularly meet religious representatives and have run projects supporting minority rights. For example, we project public support for diverse faith communities through hosting Iftars to celebrate the important contribution Indian Muslims and other communities have made to Indian society. At a virtual Iftar held in May 2021, the British High Commission were joined by over 100 Muslim and civil society contacts from across India. Moreover, for the second year, we are supporting a UK-India Interfaith Leadership Programme for a cohort of emerging Indian leaders of diverse faith backgrounds, creating an opportunity to exchange UK-India experiences on leading modern, inclusive communities.