Super Switch on Day in Holmes Chapel 18th December

Fiona Bruce MP Welcomes Super Switch On Day at Holmes Chapel on 18^th December

There is nothing more frustrating than a slow or unreliable internet connection. It can stop you being able to work from home, expand your business or watch your favourite TV programmes online.

That’s why this Government is making sure that people around the country, especially in rural communities, get access to superfast broadband.

Over 10,000 more homes and businesses are being connected every week as a result of the national superfast broadband programme. This week marks a massive milestone locally – the switch on of superfast broadband in Cheshire for the first time, just in time for Christmas.

Super Switch on Day sees the village of Holmes Chapel “switch on”, and over the coming months more and more of Cheshire will start enjoying faster broadband speeds as our rollout reaches more and more locations around the county and across the country.

By March 2015 an additional 68,000 of Cheshire’s homes and businesses will have access to superfast speeds as a result of Government investment. With a return of £20 benefit for every £1 of taxpayers’ money spent - that’s great value for money for people in our local communities, many of whom I know have been frustrated for years at our local slow broadband speeds.

Altogether more than £1.2bn of public money is being invested to bring superfast broadband to homes and businesses in areas of the country that would otherwise be left behind, stuck in the digital slow lane.

This will provide faster downloading of films and movies; video chats with relatives; enhanced online shopping; long distance learning; opportunities to work from home and homework support for our young people.

It will also improve remote access to NHS and other public services and increase productivity for SME businesses. Everyone stands to benefit from this Government’s investment in superfast broadband.

By March 2015, 94 per cent of Cheshire homes will be able to access superfast speeds. We’ve also committed another £260m specifically to help us reach the final tranche of properties in some the hardest to reach locations and are currently looking at which technologies we can use to provide them with superfast access. Taken together, this county, and our country’s future, is going to be much better connected.

I am particularly pleased that the Government has listened to the concerns I have continuously expressed both inside and outside Parliament on behalf of my constituents: - “investment in superfast broadband is the single greatest action that can be taken to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of residents.”

Fiona urges constituents with Equitable Life pensions to apply for their compensation

MP urges Equitable pensioners to apply for their compensation.

Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton is calling on any constituents who had pensions with Equitable Life, to make sure they get the compensation promised to them by the government before it is too late.

Fiona Bruce MP, said: “Although 450,000 people have now received a compensation cheque, but about 20% of these eligible to receive Government compensation remain untraced and if people don’t get their claim in by 2015 they will miss out”.

The Equitable Life Payments Scheme was set up by the coalition Government in 2011 to pay up to £1.5 billion to victims of the Equitable Life scandal. £600 million has already been paid out. But many people have moved without giving their new address and an alarming number seem to be unaware that they are entitled to a payment. The Treasury is planning to shut down the scheme in 2015, with many pensioners at risk of remaining unpaid.

Potentially there are more than 400 people in the Congleton constituency alone missing out on thousands of pounds in compensation. Nationally the figure is close to 200,000.

Fiona continued in saying, “It would be such a shame if these people miss out on the money which has been allocated to them.”

If you think you have an eligible policy but have not yet heard from the Scheme, you can first confirm that your policy is eligible for the Scheme by telephoning the Scheme’s “Policychecker” service on 0300 0200 150. Or write to Equitable Life Payment Scheme, PO Box 4110, Glasgow G58 1EL quoting your full name, address and your Equitable Life policy number in all correspondence.

ENDS

The Scheme website can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/ELcompensation or http://equitablelifepaymentscheme.independent.gov.uk/index.htm

Apprenticeship Starts Double in last 5 years in Congleton Constituency

Apprenticeship starts have more than doubled in the last 5 years in the Congleton Constituency.

Fiona Bruce MP is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Skills and Employment in the Houses of Parliament and is delighted to see the positive impact of apprenticeships.

Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton Constituency said:

“Apprenticeships form a vital part of the Government’s plans for economic growth and education reforms to give opportunities to more young people. With 1.5 million starts since 2010, I am proud of the Government’s record in delivering the biggest boost ever to apprenticeships and am delighted to see the positive affect it is having in my constituency of Congleton.”

The main areas of apprenticeship starts in Congleton are seen in Business, Retail, Public Services and Engineering. All have seen more apprenticeships within the last couple of years.

The current Government’s emphasis on apprenticeships has been seen to be a huge success. In the Congleton area there were only 490 apprenticeships at the end of the labour Government in 2010. This has increased to 800 in the first year of the current Government and since then has seen a steady growth to nearly 1000 apprenticeships in the Congleton area.

Fiona continued saying:

“I want the new norm for people leaving school or college to either go to university or choose an apprenticeship or other vocational skills training and for our apprenticeships to be the best in the world. Their contribution to society is just as important as University graduates – indeed if we do not address this now we are going to be desperately short, as a country, of certain skills, such as electrical engineers. The Government must take note.

To encourage businesses to take on apprentices, the Government is providing incentive payments of up to £1,500 for small firms which take on young apprentices for the first time.

Careers Advice in Schools

Fiona Bruce MP calls an All Party meeting in Parliament to review Careers advice in schools.

Fiona Bruce MP, Chair of the APPG on Skills, called a meeting in the House of Commons to review Careers Advice in Schools and Colleges.

Opening the meeting Fiona said:

“If a school student is hoping to go to University, the help, advice and support they receive is strong and the pathway they follow through UCAS is clear. This is not the case if they don’t want to go to University. This has to change. We are letting down half our young people in not providing clear advice of career opportunities and future training routes available to them. How can they make the best of their individual skills, talents and abilities if they are not given dedicated advice at such a critical stage in their lives? Missed opportunities at this point can be devastating.”

Ben Bayman, an Apprentice from Middlewich was invited by Fiona to speak at the meeting. Now aged 18 he is an award winning Barclays Apprenticeship Graduate, working in Northwich with aspirations of a fulfilling career in banking. However he left school not knowing what he would do and spent some time pursuing alternative career options including several months as a plumber’s assistant, until he heard, from a relative, of the Apprenticeship scheme which he is now very much enjoying.

Fiona Bruce MP commented:

“These decisions simply cannot be left to chance. The Government must take note of the outcome of the recent Ofsted Report into Careers Advice for up to 18 year olds which concluded:

“Three quarters of the schools visit for the survey were not implementing their duty to provide impartial careers advice effectively.””

Fiona continued:

“We must have more joined up thinking between the world of education and the world of work. Many employers, particularly small employers, want to offer jobs or apprenticeships to young people, and we need to make it much easier for them to connect up with young people locally seeking those same opportunities. More joined up leadership from Government on this is also required – the Departments for Education and Business need to work together on this issue. At present, they work too much in silos, as shown by the response from a Business Minister to a question recently I asked in the House of Commons:

 Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con): What steps are the Government taking to address skills gaps, create jobs and increase productivity by improving the information given in schools about vocational job opportunities, particularly local ones?

Matthew Hancock (Minister): We are making the skills system more rigorous and responsive to need, but schools have a duty to secure careers advice. I want that advice to be inspirational and impartial, and to include more mentoring, especially from people who have real jobs, so that we can help each child to reach their potential.

“Employers, especially small employers, are busy making their business work. They need help through a stream lined route by which they can promote their jobs, training and skills development opportunities to potential school leavers. Where there are good local voluntary arrangements between the business sector and senior schools and colleges, this can work well, but this cannot be left to chance – a corresponding UCAS style route needs to be put in place for young people who want to go down the vocational skills route. Their contribution to society is just as important as University graduates – indeed if we do not address this now we are going to be desperately short, as a country, of certain skills, such as electrical engineers. The Government must take note.”

Other speakers at the meeting were Judith Denyer, Career Advisor and Karen Adriaanse, Ofsted (author of the report referred to by Fiona Bruce MP)

Fiona Bruce MP Leads Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal

Fiona Bruce MP Leads Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal

Fiona Bruce MP leads the collection of Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes in Parliament, which has encouraged MPs to bring their shoeboxes from their constituencies all over the country to the Parliamentary collection point.

Fiona Bruce MP. speaking in Parliament at the collection of the shoeboxes, said:

“It is a joy to put together a shoebox at Christmas time for Operation Christmas Child, run by Samaritans Purse, and I have been doing so for twenty years. I am absolutely delighted to be behind the great initiative encouraging MPs to bring shoeboxes to Parliament.

So many of us in this country all have so much and this is a way, with not a lot of effort, we can provide a gift to a young person in a developing country which may be the only gift they receive this Christmas or even the only gift they have ever receive.

Over 23 years ago Operation Christmas Child was started by one man in a church in Wrexham driving a lorry to Romania after the terrible crisis there – Operation Christmas Child now deliver 105 countries with 9 million boxes being delivered this year which is quite remarkable. The 100 millionth shoebox will be delivered this Christmas – that is certainly something to celebrate.”

Fiona Bruce MP welcomes Modern Day Slavery Bill

Fiona Bruce MP welcomes Modern Day Slavery Bill

Fiona Bruce MP has welcomed the Government’s announcement to bring forward a Modern Day Slavery Bill in Parliament

Fiona, who is Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group in Human Trafficking and who has worked on this issue since entering Parliament said, speaking in Parliament highlighting highlighted the plight of young girls enslaved for sexual exploitation both here in the UK and abroad;

 “I thank the Backbench Business Committee for scheduling this important debate, and I congratulate the Government on proposing a modern day slavery Bill. I will focus many of my comments on young girls who are enslaved for sexual exploitation, both in the UK and globally, and emphasise that, as many Members have said, this is a global trend, just as slavery was in Wilberforce’s day.

Young girls are brought to the UK from other countries, often under duplicitous arrangements and in the belief that they are coming to be a hairdresser or a beautician. They are then imprisoned in rooms and suffer terrible atrocities, brutally abused by several men until they are basically broken down. Often they are abused for many years. In addition, there are people, mainly men, who travel from this country for so-called sex tourism—a terrible phrase. Who would go on holiday specifically to abuse and rape a child? Indeed, many of the victims are children; according to UNICEF, 20% of the victims of sex tourism are children who effectively are not consenting at all.

About 2 million children a year are exploited in the global sex trade. As we have heard, a drug can be sold only once, but a woman can be sold many times and a child even more. There are the most appalling stories—I will refer in a little more detail to the child sex trade in Mumbai—even of babies being sold. One baby was rescued just as she was about to be sold into the Mumbai prostitute area for £150. She is now in safekeeping.

Shamefully, while many sex tourists are from the UK, and despite the fact that we already have legislation in place to investigate and prosecute British nationals committing sexual offences against children abroad, including extraterritorial legislation, we are—according to the International Justice Mission’s most recent campaign—yet to see meaningful prosecutions. That should serve as a real lesson, because it is critical that any new modern slavery Bill is not just passed into law but has the capacity to be enforced afterwards. Without that capacity, the Bill will be meaningless.

(...)

Just as we have realised in this country that we need to have more joined-up thinking between different authorities—the border forces, the police, local authorities, social services and education services—to combat this terrible trade, we also need considerably more joined-up work internationally if we are to combat it effectively. We need to work with law enforcement agencies, other Governments, the private sector, the voluntary sector, front-line professionals and members of the public if we are to support victims and see a diminution in what is an increasing trade, not a decreasing trade. We need to expand prevention efforts in source countries to alert victims and disrupt the work of the traffickers. We need to work with foreign Governments to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of this issue—

(...)

Tragically, behind the global sexualisation of young children lies increasing demand. One of the reasons for this is online pornography. A brothel owner in South Africa explained how men visiting from across the globe increasingly demand younger girls. The men want to re-enact fantasies developed by watching online pornography and are making ever more violent and sadistic requests of girls. I ask the Minister to encourage the National Crime Agency to be vigilant and do what it can to stop this illegal pornographic content. I realise how difficult that is, but we need to be aware of it as a root cause of some of the increasing sex tourism and abuse of young children globally.

Another possible answer is to look at the mainstream media’s attitude to prostitution. On the surface many, if not most, people would say that a man visiting a prostitute is socially unacceptable, but under the surface films such as “Pretty Woman” and television programmes suggest an inexplicable social acceptability of such actions. Society’s attitude needs to shift on this issue.

Grooming can lead to terrible abuse and for those at risk education is key. Education is also important for the general public both here and abroad, as my hon. Friend the Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) said. If people travel abroad and are aware of abuse, they have as much a duty to report it to the authorities there as they do here. If people, particularly UK nationals, are guilty of this offence here, they are equally guilty abroad.

(...)

I commend the work of Sandbach high school in my constituency, where a group of young students, led by an inspirational teacher, have for several years been encouraged to educate their peers in school about the dangers of grooming and what it can lead to. They have conducted a national campaign, which has been recognised by the Red Cross, to raise awareness of the terrible plight of trafficked and abused young women in enforced prostitution. I encourage Ministers to look at a Nordic model that seeks to educate young people through schools, and by other means, to understand better this terrible trade, and to understand that in paying for sex they may be paying to rape a victim of human trafficking who is enslaved.

Our police forces need more education, too. I was pleased to receive a reply to an inquiry I made a short time ago to the Cheshire constabulary, stating that it now has a specifically appointed member responsible for human trafficking. However, I understand that he has had no formal training. That again means that we have no teeth to enforce legislation in our county. As hon. Members have said, this trade can happen anywhere, anytime and in any part of our country. It is therefore vital that the Home Secretary, as part of the modern slavery Bill, ensures that training is given to our police forces, so they are fully aware of the new provisions and powers. It is no good having legislation if there is not the capacity to enforce it.

It is important that, within DFID funding programmes to educate girls in the countries that we support through our funding, there is an awareness of the dangers of trafficking. We have gone to enormous lengths in this country to promote the education of young girls. It is accepted that if we can give girls an education, we can transform a community. We need to ensure that this issue is part of that education programme. A few months ago, as a member of the Select Committee on International Development, I visited Ethiopia. We inspected excellent work to reduce child marriage. Traditionally, hundreds of thousands of young girls in many communities have been married at a very early age, often as young as six or a little older. Their families think that this will secure their future. In fact, it does the opposite, because they lose their education, often suffer terrible internal injuries through early sex, die in childbirth and so forth.

The Government have done an amazing amount of work to reduce the prevalence of child marriage in Ethiopia, but when we went into one school in Ethiopia and asked the head teacher, “What are your problems with child marriage?”, she said, “We have almost none, but we have a major problem with our young girls simply disappearing. We believe they are being taken to adjoining countries.” We must address that through our aid provision.

(...)

Sex tourism is also prevalent in Mumbai. I alert hon. Members to an excellent e-book campaign that, as vice-chair of the all-party group on human trafficking and modern day slavery, I had the privilege to launch. The campaign is called, “Taken: Exposing Sex Trafficking and Slavery in India”, by a remarkable woman called Hazel Thompson, who spent 11 years in the red-light district of Mumbai. This e-book can be purchased for the price of a glass of wine through the website, takenebook.com. I commend it to hon. Members. Hazel tells of a girl who was 11 when she was trafficked from a poor village in India. Her trafficker was her mother’s friend, and she promised Guddi—the girl’s name—well-paid domestic service in Mumbai that would help feed her struggling family, but when Guddi arrived she was taken to a brothel and raped. The madam of the brothel and her daughter held her down by her arms and legs to restrain her. If Guddi and her family had known about domestic trafficking and where she was really going, her life today would be very different.

The book highlights the extensive prostitution in Mumbai, where women are kept enslaved in a tiny red-light district: 20,000 women and girls are believed to be forced to work as prostitutes in just one small network of streets, and many of them, when they first arrive, are kept in small cages, where they can barely stand up, to break them. Some of them are kept there for months. Many of these women, brought in when they are young women or girls, live there and have no hope of escape. There could be as many as 26 minders from the cage to the outside of this red-light community that they would have to get through before they could possibly escape. It is virtually impossible.

International hotels have a key role to play in addressing this terrible issue of sex tourism. Some hotels actually house brothels. They will say, “We have nothing to do with it”, but they will subcontract part of their buildings, which will then be classed perhaps as gyms or health clubs, but which will in fact be brothels. It is essential that we ensure that international hotels have nothing to do with this. I commend Hilton Worldwide for taking action, operating training programmes at both leadership and in-house levels, to teach hotel employees to identify illicit activities and better understand the issues surrounding child sex trafficking. Hotels, particularly the large international ones, must take a lead in demonstrating that they will take no part in this.

Before closing, I commend the work of some airlines. The “It’s a Penalty” campaign aims to educate tourists about international legislation while they are on British Airways flights to Brazil. There is a film with the Brazilian ambassador, with Gary Lineker and with other prominent footballers. We need to see more of this kind of constructive, innovative campaigning so that we can alert people both in this country and abroad to the fact that this is an international trade and that we must play our part in stamping it out.”

Fiona Bruce MP highlights concerns for Christianity in its Heartland

At Christmastime Fiona Bruce MP highlights concerns over loss of Christianity in its heartland.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on the Freedom of Religion and Belief, of which Fiona Bruce is a lead Member, have produced a report entitled, ‘Article 18: an Orphaned Right’ on the persecution of people across the world on account of their faith. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right and yet in countries across the world millions of people do not have this freedom.

In a Parliamentary debate called by Fiona Bruce she highlighted the plight of thousands of Christians in the Middle East, the birthplace of Christianity, whose lives, liberty and wellbeing are threatened due to their Christian faith.

Speaking in Parliament Fiona Bruce MP said:

 “The former Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, in his outgoing interview with The Daily Telegraph, discussed the persecution of Christians in the middle east with the deepest concern of any current issue, saying that

“this is a human tragedy that is going almost unremarked… it is the religious equivalent of ethnic cleansing. We are seeing Christians in Syria in great danger; we are seeing the burning of Coptic churches in Egypt. There is a large Coptic population in Egypt, and for some years now it has been living in fear. Two years ago the last church in Afghanistan was destroyed, certainly closed. There are no churches left in Afghanistan. Between 500,000 and 1 million Christians have left Iraq. At the beginning of the 19th century, Christians represented 20% of the population of the Arab world, today 2%. This is a story that is crying out for a public voice”.

Let us be that voice today.”

Fiona continued:

“The recently produced evidence-based and measured report by Aid to the Church in Need, which is available in full at www.acnuk.org/persecution, shows that Christians in the middle east are subject to widespread and intense acts of violence motivated at least in part by religious hatred, and that violence and intimidation are now much more serious than in preceding years, and certainly since ACN’s last report in 2011.

The report catalogues a preponderance of anti-Christian violence, including attacks on Christian homes, churches and businesses, and the kidnapping of Christians for reasons connected with their faith; court cases, including those involving blasphemy allegations; key political developments affecting religious freedom, including new or amended constitutions, travel permits for clergy, Government statements, policies causing Christians difficulties; planning regulations, which similarly cause difficulties for church building projects; and Government attitudes towards Christian engagement in political debate and voting rights. Many social changes have resulted in restrictions and limitations on Christians’ access to employment, education and health care, and there is pressure to change religion on pain of death.

The suffering of the Copts in Egypt is a critical issue.

Christians in the middle east have suffered from a domino effect of violence that began in Iraq, spread to Syria and overshadows Egypt, leaving the survival of the Church in jeopardy. According to reports, Christians are leaving in droves, ending the presence of the Church in its ancient heartlands. We must remember that Paul’s conversion was on the road to Damascus. That is a key part of the Christian story and heritage. Such countries formerly had large Christian communities—Syria had more than 1.5 million, and a similar number in Iraq is now down to about 300,000—so those are tragic reductions in countries where there are large numbers of the faithful. Persecution is also happening in countries such as Yemen, where the faithful are few in number.

Barnabas Aid reports that until 2011, Syria was one of the freest places to be a Christian in the middle east. It was a place of sanctuary for Christians escaping persecution in Iraq. Suddenly, all of that has changed. Christians made up a sizable minority—around 10% of the population—and were allowed to live out their faith without much hostility from Muslims around them. The Patriarch of Antioch, Gregorios III, said that it was often Christians who provided a bridge between disparate Muslim groups in the region. They had a collegiate approach towards living there. However, as clashes between Government forces and opposition fighters escalated into the brutal civil war that the country has experienced, Christians emerged as particular targets for rebels who assumed at times that Christians were Government supporters.

As Islamist bands have become some of the most prominent groups among rebel fighters, Christians are increasingly being targeted. We hear, for example, of one village where the parish priest has to collect $35,000 a month to pay rebel groups to protect the Christians from armed attacks. That is outrageous, but that is what is happening now.

Recent estimates put the number of Christians who have fled Syria at between 450,000 and 600,000—about a third of the Christian population before the atrocities began. Barnabas Aid estimates that about 600 have been martyred for their faith. For those who stay, the picture is bleak. The report that I mentioned states that entire populations of predominantly Christian villagers around Homs fled for their lives in 2012. In February this year, rebel fighters invaded al-Thawrah, seized Christian homes, confiscated possessions and threatened people with death because they did not comply with sharia law. On 27 May this year, rebel fighters massacred almost 40 men, women and children in the Christian village of Dweir on the outskirts of Homs. Some victims were tortured before being murdered.

The report’s authors told of meeting Syrian Christian refugees in Jordan, who had been told while they were in Syria:

“Don’t celebrate Easter or you will be killed like your Christ.”

On 17 August this year, the Christian area of Wadi al-Nasara, called the valley of the Christians, was attacked. Church buildings were targets. In January this year, church attacks were condemned as war crimes by Human Rights Watch. On 4 September, the historic Christian village of Maaloula—one of the few places in the world where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken—was attacked. Rebels linked to al-Qaeda went into every Christian home and destroyed evidence of the inhabitants’ faith. At least seven were killed, and most of the village’s residents were forced to flee.”

Fiona asked of the Foreign Office Minister who attended the debate:

“I appreciate the utter complexity of challenging the situation in the middle east, and that deep-seated sensitivities can be engendered by addressing the issue of religious persecution in general, and the persecution of Christians in particular. More than one person has commented to me that addressing the issue could be seen as promoting colonial or neo-colonial attitudes. I respectfully say that we really must get over that and find a way round it. It must not inhibit us from acting; millions of people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake here. Others have rightly remarked on the sheer complexity of such a daunting task, but I again say that we cannot leave the lives of those millions of people in the “too hard to do” box.

I recognise that substantial endeavours have already been made by Foreign Office Ministers and officials to address the challenges, for which I thank them. Those endeavours include the Foreign Office toolkit on freedom of religion or belief, the new conferences on equality taking place at Wilton Park, and the new equality and non-discrimination team in the Foreign Office human rights and democracy department.

I want to ask the following questions. What steps can the British Government take to help translate into positive action and support the grave concerns of millions of Christians around the world about the plight of their fellow believers in the middle east? What actions are the Government taking to call to account the Governments responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the persecution of Christians and, indeed, other religious minorities in the middle east? For example, what calls have been made on the Iranian authorities to ensure that President Rouhani fulfils his promise to release all political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, and to ensure that the nation’s new constitutional procedures do not contradict its international obligations, under the international covenant on civil and political rights, to guarantee the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief for all religious communities?

What action can be taken to urge protection of the Coptic community in Egypt, to help address the culture of hate speech and impunity in which attacks occur, and to ensure the emergence of a society in which all Egyptians can flourish, regardless of their religious or political affiliation? What actions are the Government taking to assist Governments who are grappling with an upsurge in violence by those responsible for atrocities against Christians and other minority religious groups in the middle east?

What action are the Government taking to assist the growing numbers of internally displaced people and refugees forced from their homes directly as a result of persecution? I recognise that the Department for International Development has allocated the generous sum of £500 million to support Syria—I believe that is one of the largest donations in the world—but as I said earlier, the particular problem of Christians who are struggling to get aid support because of their faith needs to be addressed.

What action are the Government taking to assist other Governments in rooting out religious discrimination against Christians in educational institutions, and where there is institutionalised anti-Christian bias in curriculums and cultural practices? Some fundamental organisations appear to be able to tap into significant financial resources. How can strategies be developed to reduce such access? Although I accept that the Minister is from the Foreign Office and not from DFID, many of the issues relate to the work of both Departments. I ask DFID to identify freedom of religion or belief as a new priority in its work, and to recognise that where article 18 of the universal declaration of human rights is breached, the impact on women, which is a priority for DFID and in the current review of the millennium development goals, can be particularly acute.

I call on DFID to recognise the contribution that promoting freedom of religion or belief can make in achieving other societal goals such as gender equality, a reduction in discrimination and social exclusion, the prevention of conflict and the promotion of regional stability; and the contribution that healthy civil society bodies, including faith groups, make in many cultures to help promote security and prosperity. It should also recognise that while religious freedom concerns are predominantly issues within individual states, they can and will escalate into larger national and international problems with significant global implications if they are not addressed, as we are seeing in the impact on Lebanon.

Countries with high levels of religious restrictions can be breeding grounds for terrorism and political instability, and that can result in large numbers of refugees fleeing violence. Will the Minister accept that religious freedom should be seen as a human rights concern and be prioritised in our foreign policy? I call on DFID to renew its “Faith Partnership Principles” document, which was referred to just last week in a meeting of the Select Committee on International Development, in a reply to a question that I raised with the Secretary of State for International Development. I have the utmost respect for the Secretary of State, and I genuinely mean that. She is doing a remarkable job with a very wide brief. On reading the document, I saw that it was written some years ago, and that it focuses more on the impact that faith groups have on delivering aid, and working with the Government to do that, than on addressing the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities as a human rights issue. As this debate shows, the time has come for that priority to be stated and defined.

Will the Minister consider all the recommendations in the recent report, “Article 18: An Orphaned Right”, published by the all-party parliamentary group on international religious freedom, of which I and several other Members in the Chamber are members? Will he also provide us with a written response to that report, which makes too many recommendations for me to enumerate here?”