Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 19 September 2023, Official Report, column 1253, whether new Afghan people arriving in the UK on approved schemes will be placed in bridging accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme which was formally opened on the 1 April 2021 , has already relocated thousands of Afghans who have worked for or alongside the UK government, and their families, and who are deemed eligible.
In addition, the UK formally opened the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) on 6 January 2022. The scheme prioritises those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law.
We take seriously our commitment to resettling Afghans yet to arrive in the UK, including those eligible for our schemes still in Afghanistan. But our efforts to move people out of hotels has shown how vital it is that they are moved into long-term settled accommodation, so, they can put down roots in the community.
Once in the UK eligible Afghans have the right to live, work and study, and can apply for benefits and other local authority support.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of (a) humanitarian and (b) development funding his Department has provided to help support the human rights of minorities in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level to promote minority rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting FoRB. Our Accountability, Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery programme (£39.5 million over the period 2018-2024) brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance. Our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme (£4.2 million over the period 2022-2025) is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online. The UK's programme of support for education has helped thousands of children from religious minorities attend school and gain skills (£130 million over the period 2023-2027). Our bilateral ODA (Official Development Assistance) budget in FY 23/24 is £41.5 million. This is set to more than triple, to £133 million, next year.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support religious minorities in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level to promote minority rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting FoRB. Our Accountability, Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery programme (£39.5 million over the period 2018-2024) brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance. Our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme (£4.2 million over the period 2022-2025) is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online. The UK's programme of support for education has helped thousands of children from religious minorities attend school and gain skills (£130 million over the period 2023-2027). Our bilateral ODA (Official Development Assistance) budget in FY 23/24 is £41.5 million. This is set to more than triple, to £133 million, next year.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the recent ballot in the Zimbabwe national elections on (a) democracy and (b) freedom of speech in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK commends Zimbabwean voters for their peaceful participation in Zimbabwe's recent elections. However, the UK shares the views expressed in International Election Observation Mission preliminary statements that the pre-election period and election day fell short of regional and international standards. The UK is also concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the compiling of results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the severe disruption of domestic observation. We note the EU Observation Mission findings that over the election period "fundamental freedoms were increasingly curtailed" through "regressive legal changes". We also share the SADC Observation Mission's views that the passing of the amendments to the Criminal Law Code Amendment Act "resulted in severe restriction of freedom of expression".
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure guidance developed by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council on buffer zones will protect the internationally recognised human rights of freedom of (1) conscience, (2) speech, (3) religion, and (4) assembly.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Ahead of the commencement of section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service are updating relevant public order guidance and training to reflect the inclusion of the offence of interference with access to or provision of abortion services.
In accordance with human rights obligations, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service are required to consider the rights provided under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), including the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which is an absolute right under Article 9 of the ECHR, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and directly linked to freedom of opinion in Article 10 of the ECHR. As an absolute right, there can be no legitimate justification on the part of the public authority to limit, interfere or otherwise penalise persons for their exercise of the right to freedom of thought. However, freedom to manifest religion or belief is qualified. It shall be subject only to such limitation as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of public safety, for the protection of the public order, health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
Public bodies must also consider Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the ECHR, recognising these are qualified rights, which can sometimes be infringed upon to uphold other rights.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Arts Council England on steps to promote freedom of speech and conscience in that organisation.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Ministers and officials regularly meet the leadership of Arts Council England (ACE) to discuss a range of matters. As an arm’s-length body of the Department, ACE is operationally independent and, like all the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's arm’s-length bodies, is responsible for complying with legislation, including the Equality Act 2010, under which religion or belief is a protected characteristic.
Darren Henley, Arts Council England’s Chief Executive, was clear to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 8 December 2022 about Arts Council England’s commitment to respecting and protecting all those with protected characteristics. Arts Council England has a number of policies in place that protect freedom of conscience within the organisation.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the funding being received by British universities from Chinese companies, including Huawei.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to supporting academia to engage with international partners in a way that reflects the UK’s values and takes account of national security concerns and wider risks.
We have strengthened sector support considerably in recent years, launching the National Protective Security Authority’s ‘Trusted Research’ campaign, and supporting Universities UK to develop guidelines on tackling security risks. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also provides the Research Collaboration Advice Team, which gives tailored advice to research institutions to help them manage the risks in international collaboration.
The Department continues to talk to universities to ensure advice and measures on tackling security risks when engaging internationally remain relevant and proportionate. This helps to promote safe, sustainable, and legally compliant international collaboration.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will give the Office for Students powers to monitor the overseas funding of registered higher education (HE) providers in England, their constituent institutions, members, and staff in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of the withdrawal of Chinese money from universities in England and the impact it would have on academia.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are recognised across the world for the quality and openness of our higher education (HE) system, and we encourage the sector to collaborate with international partners. To be open, we must also be secure. Universities must be security-minded in their approach and safeguard our values.
The government’s International Education Strategy and its recent update make clear that the internationalisation of the HE sector cannot come at any cost. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation, or a single nation.
That is why the department has introduced measures like the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will address concerns about the possible influence of overseas funding in England, to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions. This is in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE.
The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator, monitors the risk of over-reliance on overseas income at a sector level. The role of the OfS is not to direct how HE providers manage themselves or to limit their recruitment from a particular country of origin, but to ensure they understand where there is greater reliance and how any risks are being managed, and to take action to protect students from the consequences of unmanaged financial risk, if necessary.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Chinese funding to universities in England and its implications for academic freedoms.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are recognised across the world for the quality and openness of our higher education (HE) system, and we encourage the sector to collaborate with international partners. To be open, we must also be secure. Universities must be security-minded in their approach and safeguard our values.
The government’s International Education Strategy and its recent update make clear that the internationalisation of the HE sector cannot come at any cost. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation, or a single nation.
That is why the department has introduced measures like the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will address concerns about the possible influence of overseas funding in England, to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions. This is in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE.
The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator, monitors the risk of over-reliance on overseas income at a sector level. The role of the OfS is not to direct how HE providers manage themselves or to limit their recruitment from a particular country of origin, but to ensure they understand where there is greater reliance and how any risks are being managed, and to take action to protect students from the consequences of unmanaged financial risk, if necessary.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to bring the provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 into force.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is working closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to determine when provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will come into force.
The timeline will involve working in collaboration with the OfS on the creation of new registration conditions and a complaints scheme dedicated to handling freedom of speech complaints, which will be operated by the OfS. The OfS will also develop guidance on how to comply with these duties, in consultation with providers, constituent institutions and students’ unions.