Lord Godson

There are currently no Civil Servants allocated to the Official Histories Programme.

Works commissioned under the Official History Programme but not yet published are the fifth and final volume of the Official History of the Criminal Justice System and the second and final volume of the Official History of the Joint Intelligence Organisation.

It would not be possible to answer when titles were commissioned without disproportionate effort. However, this would have been well in excess of 10 years ago. We do not have any further prospective publishing dates at this time.

The Histories, Openness and Records Unit (HORU) was absorbed into the Knowledge and Information Management Unit (KIMU) in 2008. This is now known as the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives (COPRA) Unit. The last Head of the Official History Programme retired from the Cabinet Office over 7 years ago.

The Government did not publish a response to the 2009 review of the Official History Programme led by Sir Joseph Pilling.

There are currently no Civil Servants allocated to the Official Histories Programme.

Works commissioned under the Official History Programme but not yet published are the fifth and final volume of the Official History of the Criminal Justice System and the second and final volume of the Official History of the Joint Intelligence Organisation.

It would not be possible to answer when titles were commissioned without disproportionate effort. However, this would have been well in excess of 10 years ago. We do not have any further prospective publishing dates at this time.

The Histories, Openness and Records Unit (HORU) was absorbed into the Knowledge and Information Management Unit (KIMU) in 2008. This is now known as the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives (COPRA) Unit. The last Head of the Official History Programme retired from the Cabinet Office over 7 years ago.

The Government did not publish a response to the 2009 review of the Official History Programme led by Sir Joseph Pilling.

There are currently no Civil Servants allocated to the Official Histories Programme.

Works commissioned under the Official History Programme but not yet published are the fifth and final volume of the Official History of the Criminal Justice System and the second and final volume of the Official History of the Joint Intelligence Organisation.

It would not be possible to answer when titles were commissioned without disproportionate effort. However, this would have been well in excess of 10 years ago. We do not have any further prospective publishing dates at this time.

The Histories, Openness and Records Unit (HORU) was absorbed into the Knowledge and Information Management Unit (KIMU) in 2008. This is now known as the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives (COPRA) Unit. The last Head of the Official History Programme retired from the Cabinet Office over 7 years ago.

The Government did not publish a response to the 2009 review of the Official History Programme led by Sir Joseph Pilling.

There are currently no Civil Servants allocated to the Official Histories Programme.

Works commissioned under the Official History Programme but not yet published are the fifth and final volume of the Official History of the Criminal Justice System and the second and final volume of the Official History of the Joint Intelligence Organisation.

It would not be possible to answer when titles were commissioned without disproportionate effort. However, this would have been well in excess of 10 years ago. We do not have any further prospective publishing dates at this time.

The Histories, Openness and Records Unit (HORU) was absorbed into the Knowledge and Information Management Unit (KIMU) in 2008. This is now known as the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives (COPRA) Unit. The last Head of the Official History Programme retired from the Cabinet Office over 7 years ago.

The Government did not publish a response to the 2009 review of the Official History Programme led by Sir Joseph Pilling.

There are currently no Civil Servants allocated to the Official Histories Programme.

Works commissioned under the Official History Programme but not yet published are the fifth and final volume of the Official History of the Criminal Justice System and the second and final volume of the Official History of the Joint Intelligence Organisation.

It would not be possible to answer when titles were commissioned without disproportionate effort. However, this would have been well in excess of 10 years ago. We do not have any further prospective publishing dates at this time.

The Histories, Openness and Records Unit (HORU) was absorbed into the Knowledge and Information Management Unit (KIMU) in 2008. This is now known as the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives (COPRA) Unit. The last Head of the Official History Programme retired from the Cabinet Office over 7 years ago.

The Government did not publish a response to the 2009 review of the Official History Programme led by Sir Joseph Pilling.

The Charity Commission issued the Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust with an Official Warning on 28 March 2023. This was due to concerns about the Trust’s management of its relationship with a non-charitable entity, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, and its failure to comply with legal reporting requirements.

The Official Warning was given following regulatory advice previously issued by the Charity Commission to the Trust. Further details of the Official Warning are publicly available on the Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust’s entry on the register of charities.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission is not a registered charity and does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission.

In response to recent incidents, the Government has been clear that there is no blasphemy law in Great Britain. The Department has no plans to produce specific guidance on blasphemy for schools.

Head teachers are best placed to make the decisions on how to meet the needs of their pupils. In doing so, there are a range of considerations, supported by existing departmental guidance. This includes ensuring political impartiality and promoting respect and tolerance between people of different faiths and beliefs.

The apprenticeships budget is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts for all employers in England, to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers, and apprentices.

The annual apprenticeship budget is set by HM Treasury (HMT). The table below shows the department’s ring-fenced apprenticeships budget, and the total apprenticeships spend in England from the 2016/17 financial year to the 2021/22 financial year. This reflects the impact of the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 on increasing investment in apprenticeships and shows that in the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the budget in England was spent, with only £11 million unspent. Apprenticeships are an employer-led programme, and as is usual practice, any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are first returned to HMT, as per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.

The Department’s ring-fenced apprenticeships budget and total apprenticeships spend for the 2016/17 to 2021/22 financial years:

The apprenticeships budget is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts for all employers in England, to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers, and apprentices.

The annual apprenticeship budget is set by HM Treasury (HMT). The table below shows the department’s ring-fenced apprenticeships budget, and the total apprenticeships spend in England from the 2016/17 financial year to the 2021/22 financial year. This reflects the impact of the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 on increasing investment in apprenticeships and shows that in the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the budget in England was spent, with only £11 million unspent. Apprenticeships are an employer-led programme, and as is usual practice, any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are first returned to HMT, as per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.

The Department’s ring-fenced apprenticeships budget and total apprenticeships spend for the 2016/17 to 2021/22 financial years:

The FCDO does not own the Intellectual Property Rights for the presentations given on the course and cannot place them in the Library of the House.

The Issues in Countering Terrorism course, delivered by King's College London, was held four times in 2023: 28th February to 2nd March; 28th to 30th March; 18th, 19th and 21st September; and 18th to 20th December. The FCDO has spent £109,583.68 on those courses in total, with 32 people attending each course. The course is administered through a Cabinet Office contract.

The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in April 2017 and so there are no receipts for the 2016-2017 financial year. Monthly and Annual receipts data for the Apprenticeship Levy are published by HM Revenue and Customs in their Tax Receipts and National Insurance Contribution publication.^[1]

A condensed version of the table of interest has been copied below, which shows how much funding has been raised by the Apprenticeship Levy in each year since it was introduced in financial year 2017-18:

Table: HMRC Receipts for Apprenticeship Levy by Financial Year

[1] HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Issues in Countering Terrorism course, delivered by King's College London, was held four times in 2023: 28th February to 2nd March; 28th to 30th March; 18th, 19th and 21st September; and 18th to 20th December. The FCDO has spent £109,583.68 on those courses in total, with 32 people attending each course. The course is administered through a Cabinet Office contract.

Civil servants attend a variety of training courses in order to learn. As required by the Civil Service Code, and as the public rightly expects, all civil servants must act impartially.

The Police operate independently from the Home Office. The Prevent Duty Guidance (2023) provides recommendations to police on what to consider when conducting due diligence and ensuring they have an understanding of associated risks.

The Government does not tolerate those who spread divisive and harmful narratives and efforts to counter extremism span a broad range of Government and law enforcement activity and we must persist in our efforts to challenge extremist narratives, disrupt the activity of radicalising groups, and directly tackle the causes of radicalisation.

As stated in my previous response, for national security reasons it would not be appropriate to disclose the criteria by which high risk individuals are identified or the basis of any review of these criteria.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission Ltd is currently registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). The OISC keeps in close contact with the organisation and audits it regularly.

Organisations seeking regulation by the Commissioner are required to abide by the OISC's Guidance on Fitness (Owners). The criteria for assessing fitness include the likelihood of compliance with the OISC's Regulatory Scheme, a history of honesty and legal compliance, as well as a history of financial probity.

The OISC is a non-departmental arms’ length body of the Home Office. The Home Office is satisfied that the OISC is undertaking appropriate assessments in relation to the Islamic Human Rights Commission.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission Ltd is currently registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). The OISC keeps in close contact with the organisation, and audits it regularly.

Organisations seeking regulation by the Commissioner are required to abide by the OISC’s Guidance on Fitness (Owners). The criteria for assessing fitness includes the likelihood of compliance with the OISC's Regulatory Scheme, a history of honesty and legal compliance, as well as a history of financial probity.

In the last 12 months a total of nine Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel have attended the 'Issues in Countering Terrorism' course at King's College London across three iterations: 28 - 30 March; 18 - 12 September; and 18 - 20 December. Because the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office commissions the course for HM Government, MOD has incurred no cost related to this attendance.

Community assets play a vital role in creating thriving neighbourhoods, where people meet, connect, and spend time together. The Government does not hold the information requested because this is a matter for local authorities.

The Community Ownership Fund has, so far, awarded £36.8 million to 150 projects across the United Kingdom. A total of £25.5 million has been allocated to 97 projects in England, £5.2 million allocated to 24 projects in Scotland, £3.2 million to 15 projects in Wales and £3 million to 14 projects in Northern Ireland. Round 3 Window 1 of the fund is now open and will close on 12th July.

The ‘Issues in Countering Terrorism’ course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College London is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, rather than by the Ministry of Justice, and administered through a Cabinet Office contract. Therefore, Ministry of Justice spend on the course is zero.

In the last 12 months, the course took place on the following dates: 28 February to 02 March; 28 to 30 March; 18, 19 and 21 September; and 18 to 20 December.