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Community Relations

Volume 486: debated on Tuesday 13 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when she expects the National Community Forum to publish research on the experience of poor white communities, referred to on page 29 of the report, The Government’s Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion; (245546)

(2) when she expects the National Community Forum to publish a report on what works to promote interaction between neighbourhoods, as referred to on page 46 of the report, The Government’s Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.

The National Community Forum is an advisory non-departmental public body. It has told me that it expects to publish these reports shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what further research she plans to commission to develop the Government's understanding of radicalisation and enhance its analytical powers; and what the timescale is for such research. (245555)

Our plans for further research are being developed currently. They contribute to a wider cross-government Prevent research programme and are likely to comprise a mix of classified and unclassified projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which are the countries with strong links to the UK referred to on page 7 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism: A Strategy for Delivery; and how these countries will implement work to support their communities overseas. (245557)

The UK, and some of the communities here, retains strong links with a number of countries due to historic migration. It is of course for the governments of such countries to decide how they maintain connections with their diaspora communities overseas, for example in order to promote commercial links.

In respect of the Prevent strategy, the Government's work to increase the resilience of communities to engage with and resist violent extremists includes work with diaspora communities in the UK. We will also work in partnership with other countries, in particular those with whom we have these strong ties, to reduce the threat from violent extremism. We will do this in various ways, including through ministerial and official meetings, sharing experience and best practice, and joint cooperation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of the national de-radicalisation programme referred to on page 29 of the report The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England is expected to be in the three years from 2008-09; how many such schemes are currently operational; and if she will make a statement. (245562)

I have been asked to reply.

The Office for Security and Counter Terrorism has approved £1.37 million over the CSR period for five projects delivering interventions for individuals vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremism, which involve a de-radicalisation element.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vulnerable individuals have been referred to the Channel Project referred to on page 28 of the report The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England. (245563)

I have been asked to reply.

Between April 2007 and September 2008 around 178 referrals have been made to the Channel Project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who has responsibility for creating the points of referral for vulnerable individuals cited on page 27 of the report The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England; where these points of referral will be; who will refer vulnerable individuals to these points of referral; what support will be available to those individuals referred; what safeguards will exist to ensure that individuals are not referred mistakenly; what rights of appeal individuals will have against erroneous referrals; and if she will make a statement. (245564)

I have been asked to reply.

The Prevent Strategy: a Guide for Local Partners in England makes it clear that local partners, including the police and local authorities need to develop local processes for referral of those vulnerable to radicalisation. A range of agencies and local organisations will refer individuals ranging from community organisations through to further and higher educational organisations and youth offending teams. Local areas should construct a programme of interventions that are appropriately tailored to an individual who has been identified as vulnerable to the pull of violent extremism. When an individual is referred they will be assessed for the level of risk they pose and suitable voluntary interventions, diversionary activity and support will be offered in response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to set up the team to analyse Prevent issues referred to on page 41 of The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England; how many people the team will comprise; and what estimate she has made of the annual cost of operating the team in the three years from 2008-09. (245595)

I have been asked to reply.

The JTAC Prevent analytical team was set up in March 2008 and currently comprises of seven team members. The approximate staffing costs for the team are £224,927 per annum. In addition to the salary costs, we have invested £405,098 in IT for the team.