Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 2 June (HL7951), what action they have taken against (1) groups, or (2) individuals, of Islamist extremist concern; when they took that action; and what was the outcome.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Some groups publicly demonstrate behaviours that oppose the values and principles that underpin our society. The Government is committed to tackling those who spread Islamist views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society. This includes using existing mechanisms to analyse, prevent and disrupt the spread of ideologies that can lead to community division.
We assess all evidence of those that radicalise others though their support for or justification of violence and will not tolerate those who spread divisive and harmful narratives.
We work with local, regional and national partners, including with policing, to reduce the impact of these groups in communities and limit their influence as a potential driver for radicalisation. We continue to work with law enforcement agencies and multi-agency partners to increase our understanding of new and emerging radicalising threats to society. Any violent threat is assessed and managed by the police and security services based on the threat that it is deemed to pose.
The Home Office avoids publicly commenting on whether or not specific groups or individuals are of Islamist extremist concern, as this could have a detrimental effect on our ability to take future action against them.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for Immigration in answer to Stephen Farry on 29 March (HC Deb col 1033), whether they have adopted a common definition of "far-right"; and if so, what it is.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism defines Far Right as “an umbrella term to encapsulate the entire movement which has a Far-Right political outlook in relation to matters such as culture, race, immigration and identity”. The Home Office uses the definition as set out by the ISC in this report.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to schools on disciplinary action associated with teachers who refer to transgender pupils by their legal and biological sex.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools in relation to gender questioning pupils. The Department will be finalising the draft guidance shortly and will hold a full public consultation on it.
All schools are required to have a disciplinary process that deals with matters relating to staff misconduct. The Department does not provide specific guidance on this issue.
The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 set out the procedures that governing bodies in maintained schools must establish for the regulation of the conduct and discipline of staff at the school. They should ensure that they are fully aware of their responsibilities under employment law, in both establishing procedures and how those procedures are undertaken. Advice can be found on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1026591/Staff_Advice_Handbook_Update_-_October_2021.pdf.
The Teachers’ Standards came into effect from 1 September 2012, and set a clear baseline of expectation for the professional practice and conduct of the vast majority of teachers from the point of qualification. The Teachers’ Standards must be used by maintained schools to assess teachers’ performance as part of the annual appraisal process. The Teaching Regulation Agency uses Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards, relating to professional and personal conduct, to assess cases of serious misconduct against teachers in any educational setting. The standards can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1040274/Teachers__Standards_Dec_2021.pdf.
Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards notes that teachers are expected to demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct. This includes treating pupils with dignity, having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being, and showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 15 May (HL7542), what assessment they have made of any implications for national security arising from the funding received by schools from Qatar Foundation International on the teaching of religious education and Arabic in schools.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Department does not receive funding from Qatar Foundation International (QFI) for curriculum programmes that support the teaching of religious education (RE) or Arabic in schools in England. We are aware that QFI partner with primary and secondary schools in the UK, the British Council, and other philanthropic organisations. In their partnership with the British Council, they offer grants to schools to introduce, improve or expand provision for Arabic.
When accepting funds from third party individuals or organisations, we expect schools to follow the guidance of the local authority or the academy trust handbook.
Independent schools, like all private businesses, are required to abide by all relevant legislation.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they encourage Christian teaching in schools.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government’s policy is to allow religious education (RE) curricula to be designed at a local level, whether that is through a locally agreed syllabus or by individual schools and academy trusts developing their own curricula.
The government does not specify what the content of a school’s RE curriculum should be, nor does it actively promote the teaching of any particular religion.
Legislation does include the following requirement: a locally agreed syllabus must ‘reflect that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’. This requirement is replicated in the funding agreements that academies have with the Secretary of State for Education.
Exceptions to this include schools and academies with a religious designation, who are permitted by legislation and funding agreements to provide an RE curriculum in accordance with their trust deeds and tenets of their faith.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made, or intend to make, to the government of Nigeria about the large-scale killing of Christians in that country; and what has been the outcome of any discussions.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government condemns the devastating impact that rising insecurity is having on Nigerians of all faiths. Religious identity can be a factor in this, but the root causes are often more complex and frequently relate to competition over resources, historical grievances, and criminality. We are committed to supporting the Nigerian Government in their efforts to address insecurity. The Minister for Development and Africa raised the effects of rising insecurity with Nigerian President Tinubu, in December 2022. Our High Commission in Nigeria regularly engages Nigerian officials and local communities on this issue, including through the Nigeria Governors' Forum and National Peace Committee. We will continue to raise this with the Nigerian Government and support them with assisting affected communities and implementing long-term solutions.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have in place to ensure that treatments for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the Tavistock Clinic follow NHS guidance, and that all drugs and treatments are accurately assessed for their long-term effect.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All specialised services that NHS England commission must be provided in line with the relevant service specification that NHS England publish for those services. The Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is commissioned in line with NHS England’s published service specification. An Independent Multi-Professional Review Group continue to review all referrals for puberty blockers for Gender Identity Development Service patients.
Following the Cass Review’s interim recommendations, NHS England has commissioned the establishment of a research protocol which will consider the long-term impact of puberty blockers. Children will be prescribed puberty blockers as part of this protocol once it is operational.
NHS England has also established a national Children and Young People's Gender Dysphoria Research Oversight Board to oversee future research into treatments offered to children diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether parents are informed if their child expresses a desire (1) in school, or (2) in an NHS facility, to change sex; and if not, whether they intend to introduce a right for parents to be so informed.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Education is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools in relation to gender questioning pupils. The Department for Education will publish a draft for consultation soon.
The NHS England interim service specification and clinical policies in relation to a child or young person seeking hormone interventions require assent from the parents in addition to consent from the child or young person.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on freedom of speech of paragraph 3.10 of the Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on Firearms Licensing issued in February.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We have not made an assessment of the impact on freedom of speech of paragraph 3.10 of the Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing. This paragraph sets out some of the factors to be considered by police forces when assessing the suitability of an individual to be granted a firearms certificate.
The Statutory Guidance was issued for the first time on 1 November 2021. Following a review undertaken by the Home Office after its first year of operation, a refreshed version of the Statutory Guidance was issued on 14 February 2023. There were no changes made to this particular paragraph. The factors highlighted in this paragraph are also based on earlier versions of the chapter on assessing suitability that appeared in the non-statutory Home Office guides. We will continue to keep the Statutory Guidance under review.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 16 May (HL7538 and HL7539), what action they have taken against (1) groups, or (2) individuals, of extremist concern; when they took that action; and what was the outcome.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Some groups publicly demonstrate behaviours that oppose the values and principles that underpin our society. The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society. This includes using existing mechanisms to analyse, prevent and disrupt the spread of ideologies that can lead to community division.
We assess all evidence of those that radicalise others though their support for or justification of violence and will not tolerate those who spread divisive and harmful narratives. We work with local, regional and national partners, including with policing, to reduce the impact of these groups in communities and limit their influence as a potential driver for radicalisation.
We continue to work with law enforcement agencies and multi-agency partners to increase our understanding of new and emerging radicalising threats to society. Any violent threat is assessed and managed by the police and security services based on the threat that it is deemed to pose.
The Home Office avoids publicly commenting on whether or not specific groups or individuals are of extremist concern, as this could have a detrimental effect on our ability to take future action against them.