Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the report by the Jewish Chronicle on 7 August that some UK charities had shown support for terror groups, whether they plan to refer these charities for investigation by the Charity Commission to determine their eligibility for charitable status.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to question HL1170 to Lord Blencathra on 21 October 2024:

"The Charity Commission for England and Wales ('the Commission') has a statutory function to identify and investigate misconduct and mismanagement in charities, and we are confident that it has the expertise to do so effectively. The Commission assesses concerns in accordance with its published regulatory and risk framework, and has a wide range of powers to investigate and remedy the abuse of charities. Any evidence that a registered charity is engaged in misconduct or mismanagement should be referred to the Commission.

The Commission has open regulatory compliance cases into both the Abrar Islamic Foundation and the Dar Alhekma Trust, and will determine if there is a need to take action."

The Charity Commission has been clear that the promotion of extremist views in charities is unacceptable, and that it will respond robustly where there proves to have been wrongdoing.