Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to page 27 of the policy paper Protecting What Matters, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 March, for what reason the paper refers to "genders" rather than sex, given the Supreme Court judgement in the For Women Scotland case.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government is firmly committed to upholding the legal protections established by the Equality Act 2010, including those which protect people against unlawful discrimination and harassment based on the characteristics of sex and gender reassignment.
We have always been clear that the For Women Scotland Supreme Court ruling brought clarity to the definition of ‘sex’ for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.
Protecting What Matters makes clear that the UK is a diverse, pluralistic, and equal society. Its reference to “people of all races, religions, sexualities, and genders” refers to the fact that UK society respects and values people of all backgrounds.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release British Muslim Trust appointed as new partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred published on 21 July 2025, what assessment they made of any conflict of interest of the Chief Executive of the trust also serving on the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Working Group operated independently, and members were required to abide by the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies and follow the Seven Principles of Public Life. All members were required to declare any conflicts of interest. The British Muslim Trust’s (BMT) role is separate from the definition work and focused on monitoring anti-Muslim hate and supporting victims. The grant competition was open, transparent, and assessed against 16 published criteria. BMT was the highest scoring applicant and brings together two charitable foundations with over twenty years of experience serving Muslim communities and key personnel with a track record of successful delivery.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to carry out a review of local authorities who pass boycott, divestment and sanctions motions, and of the consequences of those motions on community cohesion and integration in England.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has consistently opposed the BDS movement and does not consider such motions to further community cohesion or integration. While we have no plans to carry out a formal review of local authorities on this matter, we have been clear that councils must operate within existing procurement law and guidance, which prevents the use of procurement or investment decisions to pursue politically motivated boycotts.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to page 36 of the policy paper Protecting What Matters, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 March, whether the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be (1) a regulated public appointment, (2) appointed by open and fair competition, and (3) paid a salary.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Terms of Reference and appointment process for the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 16 March (HL Deb col 728), which stakeholders they consulted.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As is standard practice in government policy making, officials undertook limited and focused informal engagement with selected stakeholders as the government considered the advice submitted by the Working Group.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the names of each of the external organisations and individuals that (1) ministers, (2) special advisers, and (3) officials, met to discuss the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition after it has submitted its report to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Anti-Muslim Hatred/ Islamophobia Working Group launched a Call for Evidence which closed on Sunday 20 July. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was able to submit evidence. The government does not routinely publish the details of individual respondents to calls for evidence.
As is standard practice in government policy making, officials undertook limited and focused informal engagement with selected stakeholders as the government considered the advice submitted by the Working Group.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 13 March (HC118194), whether the metrics on local cohesion announced in the Social Cohesion Action Plan, published on 9 March, will measure residential segregation; and for what reason they do not plan to update the Index of Dissimilarity.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Social Cohesion Action Plan sets out the steps that Government is taking to improve social cohesion. The Social Cohesion Measurement Framework will be available to local government, civil society and impact investors across England to assess cohesion in a robust and comparable way. Work on the framework is underway and we will publish fuller details in due course. MHCLG does not own the Index of Dissimilarity and there are no plans to update the data produced and published by the Local Government Association.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish names of each of the external organisations and individuals that the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition met as part of their call for evidence and consultation progress.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Anti-Muslim Hatred/ Islamophobia Working Group launched a Call for Evidence which closed on Sunday 20 July. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was able to submit evidence. The government does not routinely publish the details of individual respondents to calls for evidence.
As is standard practice in government policy making, officials undertook limited and focused informal engagement with selected stakeholders as the government considered the advice submitted by the Working Group.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the definition of anti-Muslim hostility applies in England only; and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK government's adoption of a definition of anti-Muslim hostility applies to England only. It is for the Devolved Governments to decide on their approach to a definition of anti-Muslim hostility.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they assess (1) the Local Government Pension Scheme costs, and (2) the extent to which a local authority has engaged with its administering authority to ensure that employer contribution rates to the Local Government Pension Scheme are reasonable and sustainable, when a local authority requests urgent financial support under an exceptional financial support arrangement.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Employer contributions for the Local Government Pension Scheme are set every three years as part of a triennial valuation process. Administering Authorities work with actuaries to set contribution rates, and there is a period of consultation with employers before rates are finalised. This is a locally managed process, and we expect employers and Administering Authorities to work together to set a rate that is fair and sustainable for both employers and the Fund.
The department works closely with councils in receipt of Exceptional Financial Support and ensures that a wide range of factors are reviewed to support long-term financial sustainability.