Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in light of a recent reported incident in London, whether he has issued recent guidance to the police on the rights of people to sing religious songs in a public setting.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to religious freedom and free speech, and singing religious songs outside a church is not in itself prohibited.
The police are operationally independent and there is a well established process for addressing complaints.
The Home Office will not be issuing guidance on the matter.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the ruling by the Appeal Court in Hong Kong on the banning of the song entitled Glory to Hong Kong.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned about the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including freedom of speech, which is guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. As the then Foreign Secretary said in the foreword to the January - July 2023 Six-monthly Report, "the Hong Kong authorities have extended the application of the National Security Law beyond genuine national security concerns…to use legal routes to supress the song 'Glory to Hong Kong'". I raised the deterioration of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong with Christopher Hui, Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 24 April during my visit to China.
Feb. 16 2024
Source Page: Communication whereby the Scottish Government notified people they were to work from home/return to workplaces: FOI releaseFound: return to workplaces.Date of latest issue.I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested.The
Correspondence Mar. 05 2024
Committee: Justice Committee (Department: Ministry of Justice)Found: Letter from Alex Chalk KC MP, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, dated 5 March 2024
Jan. 10 2024
Source Page: Time and date of decision to freeze council tax: FOI releaseFound: Time and date of decision to freeze council tax: FOI release
Jan. 17 2024
Source Page: UK statement on third anniversary of the arrest of Alexei NavalnyFound: UK statement on third anniversary of the arrest of Alexei Navalny
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what (a) information his Department holds on and (b) steps his Department is taking to help tackle the (i) abduction and (ii) forced conversion of Christian girls and women in Pakistan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Protecting women's rights is central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The UK funded Accountability, Inclusion and Modern Slavery programme works to address gender-based violence by raising awareness of early and forced marriages. Our online hate speech programme is helping to make digital spaces safer for women. The UK will continue to support civil society and NGOs in lobbying the Government of Pakistan to honour its international commitments on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and women's rights.
Feb. 27 2024
Source Page: NHS Waiting Times Source: FOI releaseFound: A source on the First Minister Humza Yousaf's claims in his speech to Parliament that National Health
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the tools available to verify election-related content.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We have a tradition of robust political debate and freedom of speech in our democracy. Policy or political arguments - both online and offline - which can be rebutted by rival campaigners or the press as part of the normal course of political debate should not be regulated. It is a matter for voters to decide whether they consider such arguments/claims to be accurate.
The new digital imprints regime, introduced by the Elections Act 2022, will increase the transparency of digital political advertising, by requiring those promoting eligible digital campaigning material targeted at the UK electorate to include an imprint with their name and address.
We are working to ensure we are ready to respond to the full range of threats to our democratic processes, including through the Defending Democracy Taskforce, and the Government regularly meets with social media companies to understand the policies and processes they have in place.
Mar. 22 2024
Source Page: I. Letter dated 15/03/2024 from Baroness Neville-Rolfe to Baroness Drake regarding her response to the Constitution Committee report on the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill: freedom of expression, higher education providers, procedural fairness, financial penalties, devolution. 4p. II. Letter dated 19/03/2024 from Baroness Neville-Rolfe to Baroness Drake regarding a document for deposit in the Library. 1p.Found: Baroness Drake regarding her response to the Constitution Committee report on the Economic Activity of