Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect the Grade 1-listed Bevis Marks Synagogue, given the potential impact upon the Synagogue of the planning application to build a tower block less than 30 metres away.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This application is currently being considered by the City of London Corporation. Following requests to call in the application, a holding Direction restricting the grant of permission was issued by this Department on 19 November, to allow those requests to be considered. A decision on whether to call in the application will be made in due course. The issuing of a Holding Direction should not be taken as an indication as to whether an application will be called in or not. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the papers Zionism and its influence in USA and Western Europe (FCO 17/1763) and Influence of the Zionist lobby in the United States and Western Europe (FCO 51/297); who their authors were; whether any UK diplomats provided evidence or any members of the Government were involved in commissioning them; whether they will place copies of them in the Library of the House; and what assessment they have made of whether these papers are anti-Semitic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The full unredacted papers dating from 1972 and 1973 are held at The National Archives under file references FCO 17/1763 and FCO 51/297. They were transferred to The National Archives under the terms of the Public Records Act and are publicly available to be viewed.
Antisemitism is evil and has absolutely no place in our - or any - society. In March 2024 the UK took on the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for one year, which comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the 25th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration on Holocaust remembrance in January 2025.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the long-term survival of Bevis Marks Synagogue at its current site, in the light of its listed status and historical importance to the Jewish community.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Listing recognises the special architectural or historic interest of a building, and ensures that the conservation of its significance is given particularly careful consideration by local planning authorities through the planning and listed building consent processes. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has the power to call in applications for planning permission or listed building consent.
The Bevis Marks Synagogue in the City of London was listed at Grade I in 1950, reflecting its status as the oldest synagogue in Great Britain, and among the oldest in continuous use in Europe. It is one of the most splendid architecturally, as well as being a place of religious and cultural significance.
Historic England is a statutory consultee in relation to applications planning permission or listed building consent relating to Grade I-listed buildings. It is working closely with the Synagogue and the City of London Corporation to ensure that commercial growth in the City is achieved without harm to the Synagogue. As a result of its negotiations with Historic England the City Corporation recently designated a conservation area around the Synagogue and is now considering a specific policy for the protection of the Synagogue’s immediate setting.