It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

We have allocated £250,000 in total over 2016/17 and 2018/19 to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). £150,000 of this was to support encouraging reporting from groups who are less likely to report hate crime. These groups included EU citizens and faith groups. Home Office data from 2017/18 shows that 52 per cent of religiously motivated hate crime was perpetrated against Muslims. In addition to the NPCC funding, the government is providing over £2.5 million to Tell MAMA, a hate crime reporting and victim support organisation. Whilst Tell MAMA predominantly supports Muslims or those targeted for being perceived to be Muslim, for example Sikhs, all communities are able to report hate crimes to Tell MAMA. To supply the information outside of these funding streams for the previous five years would involve a disproportionate cost to my Department.

Thank you for asking me to consider the ban on the burqa at swimming pools in Koblenz. I can confirm that the ban is no longer in place.

HMP Belmarsh had a population of 826 on the 31^st March 2019. On the same date there were 233 Prisoners at HMP Belmarsh who identified as Muslim, which represents 28.20% of the population.

Available statistics for England and Wales ending 31^st March 2019 showed an overall Prison Population of 82,634. Of that Population, a total of 13,008 Prisoners identified as Muslim, which represents 15.74% of the Prison Population.

We have serious concerns about the detention of more than a million Uyghurs, along with widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at minorities. British diplomats in China visit Xinjiang every few months, in order to see at first-hand the situation there. They most recently visited in May 2019, and their observations have supported much of the recent open source reporting about the restrictions targeted at specific ethnic groups.

Ministers and senior officials frequently raise the human rights issues in the region with their Chinese counterparts, most recently in a public statement on 3 July at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council. The Foreign Secretary also highlighted our concerns with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his most recent visit to China, in July 2018. Later that month, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific did the same with his Chinese counterpart Vice Minister Guo Yezhou. Additionally, our Embassy in Beijing regularly raises the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang with the Chinese authorities.

Reports about forced separation of children add to the growing body of disturbing evidence highlighting the situation Uyghurs face in Xinjiang. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and raise our concerns with the Chinese government at all levels bilaterally and in appropriate UN fora, including the Human Rights Council.

We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.

Accordingly, at the 40^th UN Human Rights Council in March 2019, during his opening address on 25 February, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in China including on Muslims in Xinjiang and Christians across China. We also co-sponsored a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” in March 2019, which helped to raise awareness of the situation among the international community. Lord Ahmad also set out the Government’s position when answering an Oral Question in the House of Lords on 4 April 2019. Further, we raised our concerns on freedom of religion and belief during China’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2018.

Ministers and senior officials frequently raise human rights issues bilaterally with their Chinese counterparts. The Foreign Secretary highlighted our concerns on Xinjiang with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his most recent visit to China in July 2018. Our Embassy in Beijing regularly raises the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and concerns about the pressures facing Christians directly with Chinese officials.

Staffing figures for prison chaplains in public sector prisons from 1989 until 2009 are not available, as figures were not collated centrally during this period.

The table below shows the number of Christian (which includes Anglican, Free Church, Roman Catholic, Orthodox) and Muslim Chaplains (full-time equivalent) employed at public prison establishments by religion of the post from the most recently collated figures.

The Department does not hold data on the general population.

With regard to the proportion of the prison population who identify as Muslim, we are unable to access data from 1989 and 1999 without incurring disproportionate costs.

The figures for 2009 and 2018 are available and are presented in the table below:

The Government has estimated that there were approximately 6,850 victims of organised child sexual exploitation in the UK in 2015. This estimate includes organised child sexual exploitation committed by groups and gangs within a range of contexts. There is no data that delineates crimes which might be described as “grooming gang” offending from other forms of child sexual exploitation.

Government does not hold data on the religious beliefs of offenders.

The Government attaches the highest priority to tackling all forms of sexual exploitation and to ensuring that all victims and survivors get the protection and support they need.

The Government provides funding for support services across the country to help victims and survivors cope and recover. Funding for specialised rape and sexual abuse support services has increased this year by 10%, totalling £24m over the next three years. In 2019/20, the Government will also provide around £68m to PCCs to commission emotional and practical support services for victims of crime in their area. £4.7m of this funding is ring-fenced for supporting victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Foreign Secretary has not to date made representations to his counterpart on the specific issue of reports of restrictions on the Uyghur community during Ramadan. However, Ministers and senior officials frequently raise with their Chinese counterparts our wider concerns about the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. During the Foreign Secretary’s most recent visit to China in July 2018, he raised this with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Additionally, we spoke publicly about the situation in Xinjiang at the 40th United Nations Human Rights Council in February and March. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, also raised our concerns during his opening address on 25 February, and the UK spoke about Xinjiang during our “Item 4” national statement on 12 March. Following this, we co-sponsored a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” on 13 March.

Further, in our statement at China’s Universal Periodic Review on 6 November, we made clear our concern about the treatment of Uyghurs in China. The UK issued a specific recommendation to China that it implements the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s recommendations on Xinjiang and allows the UN to monitor the implementation

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The UK Government continues to raise concerns regarding incidents of violence and intimidation against Muslims and minority groups. We have actively engaged with the Sri Lankan authorities, faith and community leaders to ensure the protection of minorities and to encourage an inclusive response to the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that brings different communities and faith groups together to tackle violent extremism and protect minority groups. The Minister of State for Security, Ben Wallace, visited Sri Lanka on 2-3 May and met President Sirisena, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and faith leaders where he underlined this message. Lord Ahmad and I have also raised the issue of protection for minority groups directly with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner.

The High Commission in Colombo recently joined an European Union statement calling on political, religious and other community leaders to speak out against violence and all those inciting unrest and distrust and to make every effort to promote understanding and harmony between communities.

The Government has made a number of representations to the Sri Lankan authorities regarding the protection of the Muslim community and other minorities in Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks we urged the Sri Lankan government, faith and community leaders to lead an inclusive response to the attacks that brought different communities and faith groups together, and ensured the protection of minorities.

The Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime, Ben Wallace, visited Sri Lanka on 2-3 May and met with President Sirisena, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and a number of faith leaders to underline this message. Lord Ahmad and I have raised the issue of protection for minority groups with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, and our High Commission in Colombo has continued to raise concerns with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, including following the outbreaks of violence against Muslim communities on 13 May.

I addressed the House on this matter on 14 May, and our High Commission also joined an EU statement on 16 May calling on political, religious and other community leaders to make every effort to promote understanding and harmony between communities.

India has a strong democratic framework and constitutionally enshrined protections for freedom of religious belief, but faces some challenges enforcing these due to its size and social and economic development. The situation for religious minorities in India varies, depending on location, socio-economic background and proportion of religious minorities.

We maintain a continuous assessment of the human rights situation across India. We engage with India on the full range of human rights matters, both bilaterally and through the European Union. We work with Union and State Governments, and with Non-Governmental Organisations, to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all. The British High Commission in New Delhi, and our Deputy High Commissions across India, also run projects promoting minority rights and regularly meet religious representatives, as well as official figures such as the Chair of the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Minorities. Recent project work included ‘Empowering Muslim youth’ which reached 150 youths, 20 teachers and over 100 educational institutions.

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We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over one million Uyghur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. Visits to Xinjiang by diplomats from our Embassy in Beijing have corroborated much of this open source reporting.

At the most recent session of the UN Human Rights Council, I raised our concerns about Xinjiang during my opening address. The UK also raised concerns about Xinjiang during our Item 4 National Statement and we were among a group of states to co-sponsor a US-led side event on the topic.

We were aware of calls by non-governmental organisations for the establishment of an independent international fact-finding mission to Xinjiang but no state took this up at the Human Rights Council. We believe that China should grant access to Xinjiang to independent international human rights mechanisms and implement the recommendations of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). We reiterated these points both in the formal session of the Human Rights Council and in the US-led side event through our Permanent Representative in Geneva.

We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. Visits to Xinjiang by diplomats from the British Embassy in Beijing have corroborated much of this open source reporting.

Ministers and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities for some time, and will continue to do so . I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.

At the 40^th session of the UN Human Rights Council which ran from February to March 2019, Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about Xinjiang during his opening address (on 25 February). The UK also raised concerns about Xinjiang during our item 4 statement on 12 March, and we co-sponsored a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” on 13 March.