Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which government departments will fund the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers. It will operate UK-wide.
The Spending Review recognised that many policy challenges require cooperation across multiple departments. The Government published its Heads of Terms for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund at Spending Review 2020 and to help local areas prepare over 2021-22 for the introduction of the UKSPF, the Government will provide additional funding to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches. Further details will be published in the new year.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with officials in Northern Ireland on providing assistance to the Housing Executive to improve the situation for older renters.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Housing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility for the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland). Housing officials in my own Department speak to officials in the devolved administrations to share their thoughts on the best approach.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many anti-Semitic attacks there have been in each part of the UK since 2012.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Hate crimes are unacceptable and the Government is completely committed to tackling them.
In October 2018 the first breakdown of hate crime statistics by religion was released by the Home Office. This data showed that 672 antisemitic hate crimes were recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2017/18. The full hate crime data bulletin for 2017/18 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/748598/hate-crime-1718-hosb2018.pdf.
The Community Security Trust independently collects its own data on antisemitic attacks in the UK. According to its data, there have been 7742 antisemitic attacks in the UK since 2012, and the highest numbers of attacks have been in London and Greater Manchester.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of anti-Semitic attacks in the UK in each year since 2010; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle such attacks.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Statistics published by the Home Office and available on the website https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2016-to-2017 provide details on the number of hate crimes, although anti-Semitic attacks are not recorded separately. Figures published annually by the Community Security Trust show a disturbing increase in anti-Semitic incidents, with a total of 1,382 incidents reported in 2017.
That is why the UK became the first country to formally adopt the International Holocaust Memorial Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. It provides a series of practical examples on how anti-Semitism manifests itself in the 21st century. In addition, Government has provided over £13.4 million (17/18) to ensure the security of Jewish faith schools, synagogues and communal buildings.
We believe the best way to tackle anti-Semitism is through effective implementation of the UK’s strong legislation against racial and religious discrimination and racially and religiously motivated crime. We also have a strong relationship with the Jewish community which has been built on the solid work of the Cross-Government working group on tackling anti-Semitism. This ensures that we are aware of any issues and concerns of the Jewish community and can respond quickly.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that non-governmental public bodies which are allocated funds by his Department are subject to appropriate oversight and are accountable for their use of those funds.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The Department has strong relationship sponsorship arrangements for its Arms Length Bodies, to ensure they manage taxpayers' money in line with the formal budget delegations they receive from the Department, Managing Public Money, and Cabinet Office Spending Controls. All the Arms Length Bodies except for the Homes and Communities Agency are sponsored by a team in Finance set up in January 2014. Due to its scale and complexity of its delivery programmes, the Homes and Communities Agency has a specialist sponsor team, with specific focus on sound corporate governance, financial oversight, and programme delivery.
The relationship the Department has with each of these Bodies is defined by individual Framework Documents and is monitored through formal governance and performance management processes. Aside from this ongoing monitoring, the Accounting Officer for each Arms Length Body is held to account by the Department's Accounting Officer or senior nominee at regular scheduled meetings. In addition, officials regularly attend Arms Length Body Audit and Risk Committees.
Reflecting the Home and Communities Agency's role in delivering large scale capital recoverable investment programmes, both the Department and the Agency has brought in senior level banking and risk professional expertise to manage the proper use of public money.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle anti-semitic attacks (a) in Greater Manchester and (b) across the UK.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Government committed to reduce the harm caused by hate crime, including antisemitic crime, in Challenge it, Report it, Stop it: The Government’s Plan to Tackle Hate Crime published in 2012 and refreshed in May 2014. Since 2010 this Government has done more than ever to tackle antisemitism and antisemitic attacks.
The Department for Communities and Local Government hosts the Antisemitism Working Group which brings community representatives together with officials from across Government to ensure a coordinated response to emerging challenges, whether they are domestic, online or international. The Department also partially funds the Cross-Government Hate Crime Programme which leads on a broad range of activities including the development of 'True Vision' an online facility to provide information to victims and practitioners and to allow anyone to report hate crime online.
The Department works closely with the Community Security Trust, the police and the Home Office to tackle antisemitic incidents. For example, in the wake of the recent desecration of Jewish graves in Blackley in Greater Manchester, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government wrote to the CEO of the Community Security Trust, an organisation that looks after the security needs of the Jewish community, expressing his sadness at the desecration and offering support.
To ensure we remember the Holocaust, and keep the memory of those lost alive, the Department also supports the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what contact his officials have had with the European Parliament Working Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Williams
My Department's Integration Team has not had any contact with the European Parliament Working Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, although we recognise the important role of the Group in raising awareness about the issue. My noble Friend, (the rt. hon. Baroness Warsi), the Senior Minister for Faith and Communities, who is also a Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has made Freedom of Religion or Belief a priority and the government works in multilateral fora to ensure that it is afforded the international legal protection that it deserves. My noble Friend has also convened meetings of international leaders to generate practical steps to promote freedom of religion or belief and to fight religious intolerance within our societies. In the UK she chairs a Sub Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, made up of human rights advocates, academics and civil society leaders, ensuring that government takes a well informed and inclusive approach to promoting and protecting this human right.