Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure effective (a) monitoring and (b) tackling of Islamophobia.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Islamophobia is completely abhorrent and has no place in our society. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their religion or belief, and we are determined to root it out.
On 28 February 2025, the Government announced the establishment of a new working group to provide government with a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, advising government and other bodies on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims. With levels of Islamophobia at a record high, this work will improve understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities, supporting wider and ongoing government-led efforts to tackle religiously motivated hate crime and foster cohesion.
We continue to work closely with police and community partners to ensure effective monitoring of Islamophobia. The Government has worked with the police to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We have also made up to £1 million of funding available this year to monitor Islamophobia and provide support to victims.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reinstate the Community Housing Fund.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of the development of our Long Term Housing Strategy, we are considering how the government may further support the growth of the community-led housing sector.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make it a statutory responsibility of (a) owners of and (b) responsible persons for residential buildings taller than 11 metres to carry out (i) an EWS1 survey and (ii) a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure the mortgageability of any leasehold flat in the block.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
An EWS1, which is not a government process or statutory requirement, should not be required for leaseholders in buildings 11 metres and above to re-mortgage or sell their property. As of 18 March 2024, 10 mortgage lenders have signed a joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, regardless of whether works have started.
A Responsible Person is required to ensure that their building has a Fire Risk Assessment, and the Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that this should include the external walls. In many cases, it will be obvious through inspection that the risk to life from external fire spread is not such to warrant a more detailed Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls. Where a more detailed fire risk appraisal is required, this should follow the British Standards Institution PAS 9980 methodology.