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1203356

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department provides to projects (a) with and (b) for religious communities facing discrimination throughout the world.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	59261
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>Since 2018, the FCO has allocated more than £1 million for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) projects through the Magna Carta Fund for human rights. This included projects to combat intolerance and encourage respect among individuals of different faiths, beliefs and those of no belief. Following the Bishop of Truro's independent Review of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, we also launched the John Bunyan Fund for FoRB, through which we funded 15 research projects that looked at the challenges facing different communities, including Christians, Yazidis and Humanists. John Bunyan Fund projects also looked at cross-cutting issues such as migration and the double vulnerability experienced by women from minority faith backgrounds. Programme funding allocations for financial year 2020-2021 are yet to be confirmed.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 22/06/2020 16:06:15 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1199100

registered interest
date	19/05/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department responded to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief’s call for evidence for his report to the United Nations General Assembly on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16.
tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
uin	52646
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is presently coordinating the UK's response to the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief's report on eliminating intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16, taking into account contributions from other Government Departments. We aim to submit our response by the UN's deadline of 6 June.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 03/06/2020 16:34:10 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1184513

registered interest
date	11/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consistency with which the term “freedom of religion or belief” is used in their publications instead of “religious freedom”; and what steps they will take to ensure that only the term “freedom of religion or belief” is used.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL2530
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is committed to defending freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief as set out in international law. We attach great importance to referring to 'Freedom of Religion or Belief' in publications, as we assess this best captures the freedom to have a faith, belief, or no belief at all. On occasion, the British Government has referred to 'religious freedom' as a short-hand, but we strive to ensure that 'Freedom of Religion or Belief' is referred as often as practicable, particularly in formal publications.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/03/2020 17:32:09 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1173614

registered interest
date	27/01/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts throughout the world on the protection of religious freedoms in their countries; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	8136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2020 answer text <p>Defending and promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a longstanding human rights priority for the British Government. Through our diplomatic network, we lobby governments for changes in laws and practices that discriminate against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. Over recent months, ministers and diplomats have raised FoRB concerns in many countries both bilaterally and through multilateral institutions such as the UN, EU and OSCE. Our Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has held Freedom of Religion or Belief roundtables, including in Lebanon. He met the Polish Foreign Minister on 19 January at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance ministerial meeting to reaffirm their commitments to defend FoRB for all. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for FoRB has visited Bahrain and the Holy See and has held discussions with the Ambassadors of a number of countries in London and also with a number of other FoRB Special Envoys to see how they can work more closely together to advance FoRB. Ministers have also pressed for the rights of those unfairly detained, including calling for the immediate release of all Baha’is in Iran and Yemen imprisoned for their beliefs.</p><p>We have encouraged our diplomatic missions to consider what they can do to engage their host governments where human rights violations and abuses relating to freedom of religion or belief are of concern. We will also continue to work with faith leaders and civil society organisations to tackle discrimination and persecution and to promote the value and benefit - to individuals, communities and wider society - of Freedom of Religion or Belief and mutual respect.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 30/01/2020 09:21:41 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1175289

registered interest
date	23/01/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to hosting a ministerial conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2020 or 2021.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leeds
uin	HL748
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2020 answer text <p>Promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief is a longstanding human rights priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO has already agreed to host in 2020 conferences on Preventing Sexual Violence and COP26 then co-host a conference on the Equal Rights Coalition on LGBT rights. We will announce a decision on whether the UK will host a ministerial level conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief shortly.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/02/2020 17:38:52 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4349 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leeds

1129533

registered interest
date	04/06/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy for promoting and protecting freedom of religion or belief as an objective of UK foreign policy.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leeds
uin	HL16018
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to using our influence to defend Freedom of Religion or Belief as a universal human right which should be enjoyed by everyone. That is why the Prime Minister appointed me as her Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. The UK regularly raises this topic through Ministers, our diplomatic network and at the Human Rights Council. In recent years we have seen reports of a particular rise in the persecution of Christians. The Foreign Secretary launched the independent review of FCO support for persecuted Christians on 30 January. The Review is led by the Bishop of Truro. It will map levels of persecution and discrimination against Christians around the world, and provide robust recommendations on how the FCO can respond. The Bishop has now submitted his interim report and will submit his final report in the Summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2019 13:03:58 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4349 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leeds

1129536

registered interest
date	04/06/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representation they will be sending to the United States Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, due to be held on 16 to 18 July.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leeds
uin	HL16021
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK will be represented at the US Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. The full list of representation is yet to be confirmed but I do plan to attend as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2019 13:08:01 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4349 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leeds

1125124

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the merits of extending the remit of the review of religious persecution led by the Bishop of Truro to (a) the Department for International Development, (b) the Department for International Trade, (c) the Home Office, (d) the Cabinet Office and (e) the National Security Office.
tabling member constituency	West Ham
tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
uin	251282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The Review was commissioned by the Foreign Secretary into the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, so it would be inappropriate for it to review, or make recommendations for, other departments. However, other government departments may wish to take note of the Review report and its findings.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 13/05/2019 15:04:21 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1064577

registered interest
date	20/02/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what response they have received from representations they have made on behalf of (1) Pastor John Cao, (2) Mussie Ezaz, (3) Imran Ghafur Masih, (4) Mussie Eyob, (5) Mohammed Roghangir Mohammad, (6) Le Dinh Luong, (7) Nguyễn Văn Hoá, (8) Nguyễn Trung Tôn, (9) Bakhrom Kholmatov, (10) Hadi Asgari, (11) Amin Afshar Naderi, (12) Ebrahim Firouzi, (13) Qaisar and Amoon Ayub, (14) Abraham Ben Moses, (15) Shagufta Kausar, (16) Shafqat Emmanuel, (17) Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, (18) Saheb Fadaie, and (19) Yasser Mohammad Reza Omidi, all of whom are prisoners of conscience who have reportedly been subject to torture.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2019 answer text <p>The British Government regards Freedom of Religion or Belief as a universal human right which should be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. We raise a range of cases, but cannot routinely discuss publicly the details of individual cases for the protection of those involved.</p><p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office encourages all States to uphold their international human rights obligations. Any allegations of human rights violations are concerning and must be thoroughly, promptly and transparently investigated.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/03/2019 16:01:22 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1064594

registered interest
date	20/02/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of their current review of the global persecution of Christians, whether they will consider commissioning similar reviews about other religions or belief groups.
tabling member printed	Baroness Burt of Solihull
uin	HL13913
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>We have no plans to commission independent reviews on other groups at this time. The persecution or discrimination against all faiths or beliefs remains of profound concern to us and we remain committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief all over the world. We will continue to work with faith leaders and civil society organisations to tackle discrimination and persecution and to promote the value and benefit - to individuals, communities and wider society - of religious freedom and mutual respect.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 28/02/2019 17:14:48 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1567 label Biography information for Baroness Burt of Solihull