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 why women from minority ethnic groups are over-represented in domestic homicide data; and what steps they intend to take to reduce those rates.

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

Domestic homicide is a tragic crime and we are committed to developing the evidence base to improve our understanding of the triggers and causes of deaths related to domestic abuse, including for women from minority ethnic groups. This includes funding research by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Domestic Homicide Project, which captures information on domestic abuse related deaths from all 43 polices forces and provides information on the ethnicity of both victims and perpetrators.

Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) also allow for in depth learning from these deaths. The Domestic Homicide Review Library holds all published DHRs to allow for more analysis of patterns and trends of domestic homicides and suicides linked to domestic abuse going forward.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of Muslim women who have been discriminated in the workplace due to their (1) faith, and (2) race, in each of the past six years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The Government does not hold data on the number of Muslim women who have been discriminated against in the workplace due to their faith or race and as such no assessment has been made. We are committed to tackling all forms of workplace-based discrimination, including strengthening protections against combined discrimination.

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.