Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent funding reaching the UK which has originated in countries which have been identified as having funded extremism.

The Government laid a Written Ministerial Statement in both Houses on Wednesday 12 July, which conveyed the main findings of the Government’s review into the funding for Islamist extremist activity in the UK. The review was originally committed to by the former Prime Minister, David Cameron, in November 2015. The review produced a classified report.

The Written Ministerial Statement conveys the mains findings of the review and the Government’s response. The single most important finding was that the most significant source of funding for Islamist extremism in the UK is small, private donations from UK-based individuals. Often these individuals do not appreciate the extremist credentials of those they are donating to. The Government’s response prioritises tackling the domestic sources of extremism but the Government is committed to tackling all sources, including from overseas. The Government will continue to work with its international partners to combat extremism and where necessary will raise issues of concern in our bilateral relationships. The Counter-Extremism Strategy sets out the Government’s plans for engaging internationally on extremism. The Charity Commission will be introducing a requirement on charities to declare overseas sources of funding to increase transparency in this area.