Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which ten local authorities in the UK (1) had the highest proportion of Muslim voters 20 years ago, (2) have the highest proportion of Muslim voters today, (3) they estimate will have the highest proportion of Muslim voters in 2045; and what assessment they have made of the effect this may have on freedom of religion and speech in the UK.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Electoral registers are held locally in each local authority and not centrally. No demographic data is collected when people register or vote, so we are not able to provide statistics. The Electoral Commission provides some data on voter registration: Explore the data: Who is and isn't registered to vote? | Electoral Commission.
To vote in the United Kingdom, individuals must be registered and meet eligibility criteria based on age, nationality, and residence. Demographic and religious data are not part of the registration process. The Government is clear that everyone has a fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. We do not make assessments on the impact on freedom of religion or speech using electoral registrations or predicted population figures.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what disciplinary action, if any, they plan to take against investigators in the Home Office following the successful appeal of “Maria” in the Upper Tribunal, whose case was covered by GB News in May.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone working for the Home Office must go through the national security vetting process (NSV) to be granted security clearance. This includes permanent and temporary staff and contractors.
All Civil Servants must adhere to the Civil Service code and values when carrying out their responsibilities and duties, including any Staff Network activity. Any breaches of the Civil Service code are addressed through relevant HR policies and processes. Additionally, Civil Servants must follow the guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what checks are made on the religious backgrounds of Home Office employees responsible for assessing asylum applications; and what percentage of them are Muslims.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone working for the Home Office must go through the national security vetting process (NSV) to be granted security clearance. This includes permanent and temporary staff and contractors.
All Civil Servants must adhere to the Civil Service code and values when carrying out their responsibilities and duties, including any Staff Network activity. Any breaches of the Civil Service code are addressed through relevant HR policies and processes. Additionally, Civil Servants must follow the guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a Muslim network in the Home Office; and what assessment they have made of the influence of any such network on the Home Office’s policy and operations, and of any bias in favour of Muslims in asylum applications.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone working for the Home Office must go through the national security vetting process (NSV) to be granted security clearance. This includes permanent and temporary staff and contractors.
All Civil Servants must adhere to the Civil Service code and values when carrying out their responsibilities and duties, including any Staff Network activity. Any breaches of the Civil Service code are addressed through relevant HR policies and processes. Additionally, Civil Servants must follow the guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any process to ensure that asylum applications from converts to Christianity from Islam are not assessed by Muslim Home Office employees.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone working for the Home Office must go through the national security vetting process (NSV) to be granted security clearance. This includes permanent and temporary staff and contractors.
All Civil Servants must adhere to the Civil Service code and values when carrying out their responsibilities and duties, including any Staff Network activity. Any breaches of the Civil Service code are addressed through relevant HR policies and processes. Additionally, Civil Servants must follow the guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker who is responsible for the current arrangements at Peers’ Entrance; and what assessment he has made of the impact and cost of recent changes at the Entrance to Peers’ access to the Palace.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Peers Entrance project was delivered as part of Parliament’s Security Construction Programme.
The delivery of the infrastructure within the Security Construction Programme is led by Strategic Estates. A Senior Responsible Owner within Strategic Estates is ultimately accountable for the delivery of the programme. This is the Strategic Estates Portfolio Director.
The Director of Security for Parliament is the Executive Sponsor for the Security Construction Programme and is accountable for setting the requirements and assuring the achievement of the benefits for Parliament.
Both the Executive Sponsor and the Senior Responsible Owner are appointed by the Accounting Officers – the Clerk of the Parliaments for the House of Lords and the Clerk of the House for the House of Commons.
The total costs of the works at Peers Entrance were £9.6million. There have unfortunately been defects with the operation of the entrance and the costs of these have been covered as part of our supply contracts for the works. £1,500 in maintenance costs have been incurred for call outs where operator or user error have been the cause.
The House Administration together with the Parliamentary Security Department and Strategic Estates are undertaking urgent work with operational staff and with our contractors to address and resolve the ongoing issues with the Peers Entrance.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia, as defined by the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group or otherwise, a criminal offence, and if so what penalty the offence will carry.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Noble Lord to the Terms of Reference for the Working Group.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when is the latest date by which they intend to publish the report from the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Noble Lord to the Terms of Reference for the Working Group.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Khan of Burnley on 11 April (HL6311), whether they will answer the question put, namely 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.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All forms of discrimination and hate crime are completely unacceptable, and the Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. Our efforts to build a country of tolerance and inclusion apply to people of all faiths and none.
The most recent police-recorded hate crime statistics showed that almost 2 in 5 religious hate crimes target Muslims, which is why we have established a working group to provide rapid advice to the Government. Working group members have been selected for their technical expertise, experience and ability to work to deliver the group’s objectives. The group will consult with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure that the voices of all relevant stakeholders are heard and considered.
The proposed definition will advise the Government and other bodies on the appropriate language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. It must also be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression. The initial advice the working group produces will be private however once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether all the members of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group that they have appointed, except the chair, are Muslims; and what assessment they have made of the impact the composition of the Group may have on the public reception of its report.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All forms of discrimination and hate crime are completely unacceptable, and the Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. Our efforts to build a country of tolerance and inclusion apply to people of all faiths and none.
The most recent police-recorded hate crime statistics showed that almost 2 in 5 religious hate crimes target Muslims, which is why we have established a working group to provide rapid advice to the Government. Working group members have been selected for their technical expertise, experience and ability to work to deliver the group’s objectives. The group will consult with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure that the voices of all relevant stakeholders are heard and considered.
The proposed definition will advise the Government and other bodies on the appropriate language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. It must also be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression. The initial advice the working group produces will be private however once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.