Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 April (HL3324), how much of the funding provided to Faith Matters for its Tell Mama project in each year from 2016 to 2024 (1) has been spent on legal expenses and litigation, and (2) how much of that has been spent on cases involving potential libel and defamation.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has funded Tell MAMA since 2012 to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. It is important that any organisation the department works with is aligned with our commitment to tackling all forms of hate crime and extremism.

As is the case for all partners funded by the Department, Tell MAMA are subject to regular internal grant funding processes and due diligence checks.

Each year, the Department and Tell MAMA sign a grant funding agreement which details objectives, deliverables and legitimate spend to deliver Anti-Muslim Hatred reporting services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 April (HL3324), how much of the funding provided to Faith Matters for its Tell Mama project in each year from 2016 to 2024 was spent on consultancy fees, who were those fees paid to; and what for.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has funded Tell MAMA since 2012 to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. It is important that any organisation the department works with is aligned with our commitment to tackling all forms of hate crime and extremism.

As is the case for all partners funded by the Department, Tell MAMA are subject to regular internal grant funding processes and due diligence checks.

Each year, the Department and Tell MAMA sign a grant funding agreement which details objectives, deliverables and legitimate spend to deliver Anti-Muslim Hatred reporting services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 April (HL3324), what type of extremism or hatred Faith Matters is being funded to address via its Tell Mama project, whether it includes (1) right-wing extremism against Muslims, (2) Islamic extremism, (3) anti-Semitism, (4) homophobia, or (5) a combination of these, and what was the expenditure on each of these for each year from 2016 to 2024.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has funded Tell MAMA since 2012 to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. It is important that any organisation the department works with is aligned with our commitment to tackling all forms of hate crime and extremism.

As is the case for all partners funded by the Department, Tell MAMA are subject to regular internal grant funding processes and due diligence checks.

Each year, the Department and Tell MAMA sign a grant funding agreement which details objectives, deliverables and legitimate spend to deliver Anti-Muslim Hatred reporting services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 April (HL3324), (1) how much of the funding provided to Faith Matters for its Tell Mama project in each year from 2016 to 2024 was spent in total on counselling, (2) what was the total number of counselling sessions provided and (3) which counselling providers were used.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has funded Tell MAMA since 2012 to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. It is important that any organisation the department works with is aligned with our commitment to tackling all forms of hate crime and extremism.

As is the case for all partners funded by the Department, Tell MAMA are subject to regular internal grant funding processes and due diligence checks.

Each year, the Department and Tell MAMA sign a grant funding agreement which details objectives, deliverables and legitimate spend to deliver Anti-Muslim Hatred reporting services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 April (HL3324), how much of the funding provided to Faith Matters for its Tell Mama project in each year from 2016 to 2024 was spent on (1) monitoring Islamophobia, (2) supporting victims of Islamophobia and (3) countering extremism.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has funded Tell MAMA since 2012 to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. It is important that any organisation the department works with is aligned with our commitment to tackling all forms of hate crime and extremism.

As is the case for all partners funded by the Department, Tell MAMA are subject to regular internal grant funding processes and due diligence checks.

Each year, the Department and Tell MAMA sign a grant funding agreement which details objectives, deliverables and legitimate spend to deliver Anti-Muslim Hatred reporting services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 April (HL3324), (1) how much of the funding provided to Faith Matters for its Tell Mama project in each year from 2016 to 2024 was spent on salaries, (2) how many staff were paid, and (3) what were the full-time equivalent staff numbers.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has funded Tell MAMA since 2012 to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. It is important that any organisation the department works with is aligned with our commitment to tackling all forms of hate crime and extremism.

As is the case for all partners funded by the Department, Tell MAMA are subject to regular internal grant funding processes and due diligence checks.

Each year, the Department and Tell MAMA sign a grant funding agreement which details objectives, deliverables and legitimate spend to deliver Anti-Muslim Hatred reporting services.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many calls the Equality Advisory and Support Service helpline received in each year between 2016 and 2023; and of those, how many and what percentage of calls were about religion and belief; and how many and what percentage of calls were received from those who identified as Muslim.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Equality Advisory & Support Service (EASS) is a government-commissioned helpline that provides free advice and support to individuals in England, Scotland, and Wales on issues relating to equality and human rights.

The EASS statistics for overall contacts to the service and of those relating to religion or belief are listed below. The statistics for the percentage of the cases related to religion and belief that were received from those who identified as Muslim is not available.

*data for 2016 is from October 2016 until year end (3 months)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government when they last evaluated the Equality Advisory and Support Service helpline.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Equality Advisory & Support Service (EASS) is a government-commissioned helpline that provides free advice and support to individuals in England, Scotland, and Wales on issues relating to equality and human rights. The last competitive tendering process was run in 2022, the resulting contract is still in place.

Officials regularly monitor and receive updates on the service from EASS, including reports on common and emerging trends received by the helpline.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of transnational marriage abandonment cases since 2016.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 31 January 2024 those who find themselves a victim of domestic abuse in the form of transnational marriage abandonment (TMA) can apply for entry clearance (Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE)) under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse to the Immigration Rules.

Data on the number of applications under the TMA route is published each quarter on gov.uk under the category ‘Settlement VDA LTE’: Visas and Citizenship data: Q2 2024. The data shows there were 9 cases in Q1 and 19 in Q2.

Prior to this, cases of TMA were not distinguishable in published statistics. Moving forward, the prevalence of TMA cases can be monitored over time.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made regarding the prevalence and trends of spiritual abuse affecting both adults and children.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government condemns acts of psychological, emotional, and physical abuse against adults and children, as well as acts of coercive control - including where they occur in a religious setting or context. Where a crime is suspected to have taken place it is right that this is reported to the police. The Government is committed to tackling all forms of abuse against children. There are legal powers in place to protect children; and local authorities have a legal duty to investigate where they believe that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. And the Government is redoubling efforts to keep children safe in all settings – this includes updating guidance for staff and parents regarding out-of-school settings, strengthening guidance for local authorities on their legal powers to intervene, and an upcoming Call-for-Evidence to inform long-term proposals for safeguarding reform.

Found: Stevenage, Housing Market ...................................................................... 32 Baroness Gohir