Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March 2026, whether they plan to publish the membership details of each Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In Protecting What Matters, we committed to promote the role of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (SACREs) by supporting improved analysis of their annual reports, to better understand the role they play in communities including in relation to cohesion.
The Education Act 1996 sets out the four representative groups required for the constitution of a SACRE, but does not require publication of the members of a SACRE. A council may also include co-opted members.
We do not intend to publish the membership details of each SACRE as a part of this work. Many Local Authorities publish the details of SACRE members on their website, and many SACREs publish details of their members in the appendices of their annual report.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March (CP 1540), with which (1) individuals, (2) groups, (3) organisations, (4) businesses, and (5) bodies, will the Cabinet Office work to support the introduction of training on how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is for individual organisations and employers to determine which training offer and provider is best suited to their sectors. As set-out in Protecting What Matters, tackling religious hatred requires a whole-of-society response, and improving understanding across society of how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed is vital.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March 2026, which (1) individuals, (2) groups, (3) organisations, (4) businesses, and (5) bodies will support the roll out of training on how religious hatred manifests itself and how it should be addressed.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is for individual organisations and employers to determine which training offer and provider is best suited to their sectors. As set-out in Protecting What Matters, tackling religious hatred requires a whole-of-society response, and improving understanding across society of how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed is vital.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March 2026, whether they plan to publish the details of which 40 areas they assess social cohesion to be under pressure and in line for the allocated £800 million of funding.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The list of neighbourhoods funded and full details of the selection methodology employed are available online here.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters published on 9 March 2026, what youth, sport and community infrastructure will receive £750 million over the next four years.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The referenced Protecting What Matters commitment is being led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS is investing £400 million in new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities through to 2030.
In 2026/27, this includes the following commitments:
Additionally, DCMS’ Youth Matters Fund is a merged capital and revenue fund that will provide over £400 million over the next few years to enable youth organisations across the country to deliver high-quality youth work and activities as well as refurbish or build up to 250 youth facilities. Further details on when it will open to applicants, along with guidance on the application process and eligibility criteria, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters published on 9 March 2026, which local authorities and grassroots organisations will obtain up to £5 million over financial year 2026–27 to deliver targeted cohesion and integration initiatives through the Common Ground Resilience Fund.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Common Ground Resilience Fund 2026-27 will support a range of activity to strengthen social cohesion, build resilience and respond to community tensions. This includes funding for locally led interventions in Blackpool Council, Nottingham City Council and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and support for local authorities through the Government's Areas Team.
Up to £2.5 million will also be awarded through the Common Ground Award, a competitive grant scheme for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations working to strengthen social cohesion and build connections between communities. Successful organisations will be identified through the competition process. Funding is also available to support local areas in responding to emerging cohesion risks and threats.
Separately, the Government has made available an additional £1 million through the Common Ground Resilience Fund to support communities and places facing the greatest risk of antisemitism.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters published on 9 March 2026, which authorities, individuals, groups, organisations, businesses or bodies will provide training to major employers, including the NHS, on preventing and responding to religious hatred.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is for individual organisations and employers to determine which training offer and provider is best suited to their sectors. As set-out in Protecting What Matters, tackling religious hatred requires a whole-of-society response, and improving understanding across society of how religious hatred manifests and how it should be addressed is vital.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters published on 9 March 2026, for how long the special representative on anti-Muslim hostility will serve in post.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Details of the role of the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Command Paper Protecting What Matters: Towards a more confident, cohesive, and resilient United Kingdom on 9 March, which (1) authorities, (2) individuals, (3) groups, (4) organisations, (5) businesses, or (6) bodies, will be supported by the new co-operative development unit.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department is working across Government to deliver our manifesto commitment to double the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector, following the commitment to establish a Co-operatives Development Unit in Protecting What Matters and the Pride in Place Strategy. We will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Protecting What Matters (CP 1540), published on 9 March, how they plan to gauge current levels of faith and belief literacy in government; how they plan to identify ways to upskill and develop an approach that improves the quality and inclusivity of policy making; and which authorities, individuals, groups, organisations, businesses or bodies will be consulted on the issue.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. The Government is committed to building a Britain where all communities feel safe, and where the contributions of people of many faiths and beliefs are warmly welcomed and richly valued. Supporting faith and belief literacy in government and wider society is crucial to achieving these objectives.
Protecting What Matters sets out our commitment to faith and belief literacy, both within government and across society as a whole. This work is still in its early stages and my officials will be conducting engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.