Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the amount of funding allocated by his Department to UK human rights organisations and what the (a) subject and (b) campaign category for each of those allocations.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The FCO allocated £17.66m to its human rights, democracy and the rules based international system programme work in financial year 2019-2020. Projects included efforts to combat modern slavery; defending the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief; supporting the right of human rights defenders to carry out their work; promoting the development and strengthening of democracy; opposing the death penalty and the use of torture; gender equality; and defending the right to freedom of the media and freedom of expression. Programme funding allocations for financial year 2020-2021 are yet to be confirmed.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the case for removing hate speech from social media platforms in Pakistan, including hate speech towards Ahmadis.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We engage at a senior level with the Pakistani Government on our concerns about the mistreatment of religious and ethnic groups, including Pakistanis from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. We are concerned by language that may incite violence against any religious or ethnic groups. As the Minister of State for South Asia with responsibility for human rights, I raised the UK's concerns about freedom of religion or belief and the protection of the Ahmadiyya community with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 27 February and with the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Nafees Zakaria, on 12 May. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, as laid down in the constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Chris Loder (Conservative - West Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Right Hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to fly Union Flags on its churches for the 75th Anniversary of VE Day.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
The House of Bishops revised their guidance on access to churches on the 5th May 2020.
The new guidance can be read here: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/news/house-bishops-backs-phased-approach-revising-access-church-buildings
Government guidance states that ‘a minister of religion or worship leader may leave their home to travel to their place of worship’. In most cases, they will do so in order to pray or to stream a service of worship. If clergy wish to mark VE Day by ringing a church bell or flying a flag from their church buildings, that is within government guidance. This advice does not extend to bell-ringers, sextons or other church officers or volunteers.
The parish church would usually be central to local commemorations of events such as Victory in Europe Day, but for this anniversary they will be honouring the sacrifice of all those who were involved in World War Two in a new way. Archbishops, Bishops and clergy will be participating in local and national virtual services to mark VE Day. The Church of England has released national resources for worship and prayer which can be used by local communities: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/worship-resources-ve-day-2020
Additional resources have been released by Westminster Abbey to help churches shape their services over the anniversary weekend which can be found here: Service of Thanksgiving to mark the 70th Anniversary of VE Day
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) reported killing of 60 Christians in villages in Plateau State in Nigeria by Fulani militia, and (2) the humanitarian situation in Nigeria; and what discussions they have had with the government of Nigeria about protecting those at risk and bringing perpetrators of human rights and freedom of religion or belief abuses to justice.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We condemn all incidents of intercommunal violence in Nigeria. We have been unable to verify reports of over 60 recent deaths in multiple incidents in Plateau State. Given religion forms a fundamental part of the identity of most Nigerians, our assessment is that religion inevitably plays a part in many clashes, including some which involve Fulani herdsmen. The British High Commissioner visited Plateau State in December 2019 and met the Governor, Christian and Muslim faith leaders, as well as Fulani communities. All highlighted the complex root cause of violence, including politicisation, ethnic tensions, and disputes over land resources. The FCO and Wilton Park conference on 'Fostering Social Cohesion in Nigeria' in February highlighted the importance of countering inaccurate media narratives misrepresenting disparate incidents as a homogenous religious conflict, and also of inflammatory terminology such as 'militia' to describe diverse ethnic groups. Urgent action is needed by the Nigerian Government to protect those at risk, bring perpetrators to justice and implement long-term solutions that address the root causes.
Humanitarian need in Nigeria is greatest in the North East where the decade long conflict with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa has left 7.9 million people in need of assistance. The UK is the second largest donor to the North East and will be providing lifesaving assistance for up to 1.6 million vulnerable people this year as part of a five year UKAid commitment of up to £400 million. We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities, at the highest levels, the importance of protecting civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, and human rights for all Nigerians.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page four of the report published by Ofcom on 18 September 2019 entitled Diversity and equal opportunities in television, whether the Government has received representations from Ofcom on powers to collect information from broadcasters on the characteristics of (a) age, (b) sexual orientation and (c) religion or belief.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government has received representations from Ofcom regarding powers to collect information on additional diversity characteristics. Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom requires data from broadcasters related to equality of opportunity between men and women, people of different racial groups, and for disabled persons.
The Government is committed to supporting the broadcasting sector in reflecting and providing for the whole of the UK population and encourages broadcasters to provide data to Ofcom on all the protected characteristics.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page four of the report published by Ofcom on 18 September 2019 entitled Diversity and equal opportunities in television, whether the Government has plans to grant Ofcom powers to collect information from broadcasters on the characteristics of (a) age, (b) sexual orientation and (c) religion or belief.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government has received representations from Ofcom regarding powers to collect information on additional diversity characteristics. Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom requires data from broadcasters related to equality of opportunity between men and women, people of different racial groups, and for disabled persons.
The Government currently has no plans in this session to introduce legislation granting Ofcom additional data collection powers. The Government is committed to supporting the broadcasting sector in reflecting and providing for the whole of the UK population and encourages broadcasters to provide data to Ofcom on all the protected characteristics.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indonesian counterpart on the status of displaced Ahmadi Muslims who have spent over a decade at the Wisma Transito refugee camp.
Answered by Nigel Adams
In January 2018, Minister of State (Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth) Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon met Indonesian Ambassador Rizal Sukma where he raised our concerns. In October 2018, Lord Ahmad visited Jakarta in his capacity as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB). He met representatives of the Ahmadi Muslim community to discuss minority rights, underlining the UK's close interest in their welfare and protection of their rights. He also underlined UK support for FORB in Indonesia and raised concerns on the use of blasphemy laws. HMG officials regularly discuss minority rights with senior members of all six official faiths in Indonesia and meet with leaders of the Ahmadi community.
Freedom of Religion and Belief is a core aspect of the Embassy's work under the Human Rights strand. In December 2019, the British Embassy ran a workshop on media freedom in Jakarta. This included a discussion on reporting on FORB. Embassy officials regularly attend 'Friends of FORB' meetings, and in January of this year embassy officials met with an Ahmadi spokesperson.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide training for Pakistani minority groups and non-governmental organisations on how to (1) organise, campaign and lobby for their rights, and (2) respond to the shrinking of civil society space in Pakistan; and how the persecution of Ahmadi and Christian minorities was raised during the visit to Pakistan by HRH the Duke of Cambridge.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Government provides training, workshops and seminars on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Pakistan, including to representatives of minority groups. These aim to increase awareness of rights and constitutional safeguards, and to strengthen connections between minority communities and local media. The British Government continues to support civil society and non-governmental organisations lobbying the Government of Pakistan to honour its international commitments. Department for International Development will work with local civil society organisations to promote respect, tolerance and inclusion of minorities and marginalised groups through its AAWAZ II programme.
While in Pakistan, Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge discussed interfaith harmony with faith leaders from across Pakistan’s various religious communities, including Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Shia and Sunni. Discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities present in promoting interfaith relations in Pakistan, as well as how faith representatives can work together to build acceptance and tolerance in Pakistani society. They also spent time with members of the Kalash community in the Bumburet Valley of Chitral.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department reported their religion as Islam in the latest period for which figures are available; what the reported ethnicity of those staff was; and how many of those staff were employed at each grade.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The attached table refers to the Core Department only and does not include non-ministerial departments. The declaration rate for religion is 68% so this does not reflect the department as a whole. The breakdown of staff who have reported their religion as Islam by grade and ethnicity declaration is as follows (figures have been suppressed when fewer than 5 individuals are part of a group).
The Civil Service Workforce Plan 2016-2020 set out the ambition to be the UK’s most inclusive employer. To deliver this objective the Government published “A Brilliant Civil Service: becoming the UK’s most inclusive employer” in October 2017, which committed to focusing on faith and belief as part of our wider approach to inclusion.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sentencing of Shagufta Kauser and her husband to death in Pakistan for alleged blasphemy; what assessment they have made of whether Shagufta Kauser is (1) from a Christian minority, and (2) illiterate; what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan on her behalf; what response they have received to these representations; and what estimate they have made of the number of people currently facing the death sentence in Pakistan for alleged blasphemy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor the case of Shagufta Kauser and her husband Shafqat Emmanuel who were sentenced to death in April 2014. We understand that Shagufta Kauser is of the Christian faith and we are aware of media reports stating that she and her husband are both illiterate.
We regularly raise our concerns about the misuse of the blasphemy laws with the government of Pakistan at a senior level. The harsh penalties for blasphemy, including the death penalty, add to these concerns. We remain firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. We have repeatedly called upon the Government of Pakistan to end capital punishment and, as a minimum, commit to publicly renewing the previously imposed moratorium on the death penalty. Concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities were raised with Pakistan's Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, during a ministerial visit to Islamabad in February.
We do not hold figures for individuals on specific charges overseas. According to the US State Department 2018 Report on Freedom of Religion or Belief, at the time of publication, 77 individuals were imprisoned in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, 28 of whom had received death sentences.