Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 January (HL3896), how and when they propose to “support victims and take action on delivering against the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse”; and how their proposed localised inquiries will compel witnesses to give evidence about girls trafficked across county boundaries.

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

Further to my previous response, the Government will lay out a clear timetable before Easter on how we will take forward the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We will also set up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.

We have been clear that local authorities, who are responsible for delivering local services, are best placed to commission local inquiries, and we stand ready to support as we can. That is why the Home Secretary announced to Parliament on the 6 and 16 January 2025 a range of measures, including stronger national backing for local inquiries and funding provisions to help local councils set up their own reviews. The Home Office will develop a new effective framework for victim-centred, locally-led inquiries, and work with Oldham Council and four other pilot areas to implement it. Additionally, local councils which are yet to hold regional investigations where the group-based sexual offences have been more prevalent will be urged to conduct their own reviews to prevent offending happening again.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January, which set out the actions the Government is taking forward to improve our response to, and understanding of, child sexual exploitation and abuse, including group-based abuse This includes improving the data available on the perpetration of these crimes and the Home Secretary has asked the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to expand the ethnicity data it collects and publishes - gathering data from the end of the investigation when a fuller picture is available.

The Home Secretary is also appointing Baroness Louise Casey to lead an audit to improve our understanding of the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level, including what is known about the demographics of perpetrators and victims, and to make recommendations on what additional action is needed to improve our response.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 January (HL3896), what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of identifying membership of grooming gangs by reference to Pakistani origin.

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

Further to my previous response, the Government will lay out a clear timetable before Easter on how we will take forward the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We will also set up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.

We have been clear that local authorities, who are responsible for delivering local services, are best placed to commission local inquiries, and we stand ready to support as we can. That is why the Home Secretary announced to Parliament on the 6 and 16 January 2025 a range of measures, including stronger national backing for local inquiries and funding provisions to help local councils set up their own reviews. The Home Office will develop a new effective framework for victim-centred, locally-led inquiries, and work with Oldham Council and four other pilot areas to implement it. Additionally, local councils which are yet to hold regional investigations where the group-based sexual offences have been more prevalent will be urged to conduct their own reviews to prevent offending happening again.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January, which set out the actions the Government is taking forward to improve our response to, and understanding of, child sexual exploitation and abuse, including group-based abuse This includes improving the data available on the perpetration of these crimes and the Home Secretary has asked the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to expand the ethnicity data it collects and publishes - gathering data from the end of the investigation when a fuller picture is available.

The Home Secretary is also appointing Baroness Louise Casey to lead an audit to improve our understanding of the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level, including what is known about the demographics of perpetrators and victims, and to make recommendations on what additional action is needed to improve our response.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 January (HL3896), what assessment they have made of the proportion of Muslims among members of grooming gangs.

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

Further to my previous response, the Government will lay out a clear timetable before Easter on how we will take forward the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We will also set up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.

We have been clear that local authorities, who are responsible for delivering local services, are best placed to commission local inquiries, and we stand ready to support as we can. That is why the Home Secretary announced to Parliament on the 6 and 16 January 2025 a range of measures, including stronger national backing for local inquiries and funding provisions to help local councils set up their own reviews. The Home Office will develop a new effective framework for victim-centred, locally-led inquiries, and work with Oldham Council and four other pilot areas to implement it. Additionally, local councils which are yet to hold regional investigations where the group-based sexual offences have been more prevalent will be urged to conduct their own reviews to prevent offending happening again.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January, which set out the actions the Government is taking forward to improve our response to, and understanding of, child sexual exploitation and abuse, including group-based abuse This includes improving the data available on the perpetration of these crimes and the Home Secretary has asked the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to expand the ethnicity data it collects and publishes - gathering data from the end of the investigation when a fuller picture is available.

The Home Secretary is also appointing Baroness Louise Casey to lead an audit to improve our understanding of the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level, including what is known about the demographics of perpetrators and victims, and to make recommendations on what additional action is needed to improve our response.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 3 March (HL5169), in the past 25 years, how many prisoners have been segregated for 42 days, and how many have been segregated for a longer period.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Removal from association for the purpose of segregation can occur for a number of reasons including for the maintenance of the good order and discipline of a prison; to protect the safety of those within a prison; for a prisoner’s own interests (i.e. due to risk from others); pending adjudication or as a punishment of cellular confinement following adjudication.

Whilst segregated prisoners are removed from association, they are individually risk assessed to enable access to as full a regime as possible. The use of segregation is governed by Prison Service Order 1700, which provides guidance to ensure it is used appropriately, and only where necessary.

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, often known as the Mandela Rules, define solitary confinement as “the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact”. Prisons in England and Wales do not have a solitary confinement procedure.

Statistics on incidents of segregation over the past 25 years could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 3 March (HL5169), what is the difference between a prisoner being "removed from association" and being "kept in solitary confinement".

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Removal from association for the purpose of segregation can occur for a number of reasons including for the maintenance of the good order and discipline of a prison; to protect the safety of those within a prison; for a prisoner’s own interests (i.e. due to risk from others); pending adjudication or as a punishment of cellular confinement following adjudication.

Whilst segregated prisoners are removed from association, they are individually risk assessed to enable access to as full a regime as possible. The use of segregation is governed by Prison Service Order 1700, which provides guidance to ensure it is used appropriately, and only where necessary.

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, often known as the Mandela Rules, define solitary confinement as “the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact”. Prisons in England and Wales do not have a solitary confinement procedure.

Statistics on incidents of segregation over the past 25 years could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil prisoners are held in His Majesty's Prison Woodhill, and of those how many are kept in its close supervision centre.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

In line with statistical guidance and GDPR, we cannot release the requested data regarding the number of civil prisoners that are held in His Majesty’s Prison Woodhill, as this could lead to the identification of individuals, given the small sample sizes involved. There are no civil prisoners kept in its close supervision centre.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the psychological impact upon prisoners who spend long periods of time in solitary confinement.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Prisoners in England and Wales are not kept in solitary confinement. A prisoner may be removed from association where this appears desirable for the maintenance of good order or discipline, or is in the prisoner’s own interest. Prisoners in the adult prison estate may be separated in this way under the Governor’s authority for a maximum of 42 days. Segregation beyond this period must be authorised by a Prison Group Director, as an authority independent of the prison. The use of segregation is governed by Prison Service Order 1700.

The mental and physical health of prisoners removed from association is repeatedly assessed. Any prisoner segregated for over 30 days must have an individual mental health care plan in place. Segregated prisoners are managed by a multi-disciplinary team, which includes healthcare, mental health teams and psychology, overseen by a segregation review board. This board continually reviews both the physical and mental health of prisoners.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government for how long is it lawful for a prisoner to be kept in solitary confinement.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Prisoners in England and Wales are not kept in solitary confinement. A prisoner may be removed from association where this appears desirable for the maintenance of good order or discipline, or is in the prisoner’s own interest. Prisoners in the adult prison estate may be separated in this way under the Governor’s authority for a maximum of 42 days. Segregation beyond this period must be authorised by a Prison Group Director, as an authority independent of the prison. The use of segregation is governed by Prison Service Order 1700.

The mental and physical health of prisoners removed from association is repeatedly assessed. Any prisoner segregated for over 30 days must have an individual mental health care plan in place. Segregated prisoners are managed by a multi-disciplinary team, which includes healthcare, mental health teams and psychology, overseen by a segregation review board. This board continually reviews both the physical and mental health of prisoners.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a body to define Islamophobia; and what steps they are taking to ensure that freedom of speech is protected to allow the criticism of religions.

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

The Government has established a new working group to provide a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, advising government and other bodies on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims. The group’s proposed definition will be non-statutory, and we are clear that it must be compatible with British citizens’ unchanging right to exercise freedom of speech and expression - which includes the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents. This work will support these important freedoms, ensuring that they are preserved.

With levels of Islamophobia at a record high, this work will improve understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities and support wider and ongoing government-led efforts to root out hatred in all its forms.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are in prison in England and Wales for contempt of court.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The number of people in prison for contempt of court is published annually as part of the Department’s Offender Management Statistics publication. As at 30 June 2024 (latest available published data), there were 9 people in prison for contempt of court in England and Wales.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any abuse of Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in detaining journalists.

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

There is rigorous and independent oversight of Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000, and strong and specific safeguards are in place to protect journalists.

Schedule 7 is subject to significant independent oversight by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation (IRTL), Jonathan Hall KC. The IRTL provides independent oversight, scrutiny, and transparency in the use of counter-terrorism legislation, including Schedule 7, by operational partners.

Any person, irrespective of their profession, can be subject to an examination under Schedule 7 if the statutory conditions set out in the primary legislation are met. The code of practice governing the use of Schedule 7 powers by counter-terrorism police is clear that the decision to select a person for examination must not be arbitrary. An individual subject to the power cannot be detained for more than six hours.

Schedule 7 also includes additional safeguards to protect journalists who have been selected for a Schedule 7 examination. For example, to ensure Article 10 ECHR compliance, the code of practice provides that protected material, including confidential journalistic material, cannot be examined by counter-terrorism police officers.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will require the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group to take into consideration the views of adherents of religions other than Islam; and if not, why not

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

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities.

In the most recently published Home Office statistics the number of religious hate crimes targeting Muslims accounted for 38% of all religious hate crimes. The number of religious hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 33%. These together make up 71%, and show government action here is urgently needed. Whilst the government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition for antisemitism, it does not have an equivalent definition to aid its work in tackling hate directed towards Muslims.

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group’s objective is to develop a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims. Full terms of reference for the Working Group have been published on GOV.UK.

It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.

Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the planned definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia will allow for ridicule or abuse of Islamic beliefs and practices.

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

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities.

In the most recently published Home Office statistics the number of religious hate crimes targeting Muslims accounted for 38% of all religious hate crimes. The number of religious hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 33%. These together make up 71%, and show government action here is urgently needed. Whilst the government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition for antisemitism, it does not have an equivalent definition to aid its work in tackling hate directed towards Muslims.

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group’s objective is to develop a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims. Full terms of reference for the Working Group have been published on GOV.UK.

It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.

Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will require the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group to meet adherents of religions other than Islam.

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

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities.

In the most recently published Home Office statistics the number of religious hate crimes targeting Muslims accounted for 38% of all religious hate crimes. The number of religious hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 33%. These together make up 71%, and show government action here is urgently needed. Whilst the government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition for antisemitism, it does not have an equivalent definition to aid its work in tackling hate directed towards Muslims.

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group’s objective is to develop a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims. Full terms of reference for the Working Group have been published on GOV.UK.

It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.

Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government on what grounds they determined that the work of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group should not be made public.

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

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities.

In the most recently published Home Office statistics the number of religious hate crimes targeting Muslims accounted for 38% of all religious hate crimes. The number of religious hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 33%. These together make up 71%, and show government action here is urgently needed. Whilst the government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition for antisemitism, it does not have an equivalent definition to aid its work in tackling hate directed towards Muslims.

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group’s objective is to develop a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims. Full terms of reference for the Working Group have been published on GOV.UK.

It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.

Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will invite the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group in formulating its definition to protect freedom of expression in similar terms to the saving provision in section 29J of the Public Order Act 1986, so that the definition does not, for example, restrict criticism of Islam or prevent individuals from urging Muslims to cease practising Islam.

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

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities.

In the most recently published Home Office statistics the number of religious hate crimes targeting Muslims accounted for 38% of all religious hate crimes. The number of religious hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 33%. These together make up 71%, and show government action here is urgently needed. Whilst the government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition for antisemitism, it does not have an equivalent definition to aid its work in tackling hate directed towards Muslims.

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group’s objective is to develop a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims. Full terms of reference for the Working Group have been published on GOV.UK.

It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.

Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to formulate official definitions of hatred or abuse against adherents of any religion other than Islam.

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

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities.

In the most recently published Home Office statistics the number of religious hate crimes targeting Muslims accounted for 38% of all religious hate crimes. The number of religious hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 33%. These together make up 71%, and show government action here is urgently needed. Whilst the government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition for antisemitism, it does not have an equivalent definition to aid its work in tackling hate directed towards Muslims.

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group’s objective is to develop a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims. Full terms of reference for the Working Group have been published on GOV.UK.

It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.

Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.