Written question asked by Greg Pope (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 January 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 January 2010. It was answered by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 April 2010 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Schools: Racial Discrimination

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will extend the terms of reference of his Department's review of the provisions which prevent the promotion of racism in schools to include the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Answer: The Secretary of State announced on 30 September 2009 that he had asked Maurice Smith, the former chief inspector of schools, to look into the issue of racism in maintained schools and report his findings by the end of January 2010. Maurice Smith's report was published on 12 March and a copy placed in the Libraries.The Secretary of State has accepted the recommendations in full and has asked Maurice Smith to conduct an additional review looking at the safeguards in place in independent schools. The handling of the review will be a matter for Maurice Smith to determine, although he will be free to gather evidence about the activities of any group or organisation. He has been asked to submit his report to the Secretary of State in September 2010.

Secondary information