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Watch Lord Ahmad’s statement

Statement

I’m sincerely looking forward to welcoming our partners and friends from around the world to London in early July for the United Kingdom-hosted Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

This will be the first international ministerial conference on this theme since 2020 and the first to take place in person since 2019.

Together with our international partners we share a collective commitment to freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere.

This is an issue that we all should care about. Although the right to freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it is regrettable, indeed tragic, that too many people around the world continue to live in fear of persecution on the basis of what they choose to believe or not to believe, or indeed how they choose to practice those beliefs.

Being denied the fundamental human right of freedom of religion or belief can be devastating for individuals and communities.

At the conference we’ll therefore hear from survivors directly on the impact that persecution has had upon them, on their lives, on their communities.

As individuals suffer from being denied this human right, societies, countries where survivors live suffer too. They become smaller, diminished culturally and spiritually by this lack of freedom. Therefore, let us strengthen all of our communities by driving forward the collective importance of not just promoting this important issue, but strengthening freedom of religion or belief for all.

This conference in London will bring together ministers, but also importantly other representatives from government, from faith and belief group leaders, and indeed importantly from civil society as well.

Alongside the official ministerial conference, an associated conference fringe will see a series of events organized directly by civil society.

These will be taking place around the United Kingdom and provide further opportunities for all to join this important debate and discussion and learn from each other about this important issue.

I therefore hope that you will take this opportunity to really get involved and share our collective commitment to promoting and protecting, and indeed strengthening freedom of religion or belief for everyone across the world.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Cwmni Egino have today (Friday 20 May) announced they will work together on proposals for the siting of a new nuclear development at Trawsfynydd, north Wales.

With the agreement of BEIS, the 2 organisations are working towards a collaboration agreement aimed at progressing plans which will ultimately support UK government’s Energy Security Strategy. 

UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

Our ambition for a British nuclear renaissance means a bright future for nuclear power in Wales, not only securing clean, affordable, homegrown energy but also jobs and investment at sites like Trawsfynydd.

We remain on track to realise our plan to approve eight new nuclear reactors by 2030, transforming the UK’s energy network and revitalizing decommissioned nuclear sites.

The NDA are charged with the mission to clean up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and cost-effectively, with the aim of benefiting local communities and the environment, to ultimately release its 17 sites for other uses.

Cwmni Egino (CE) is a development company wholly owned by Welsh Government, established to drive future development at the Trawsfynydd site and to promote regional economic and social regeneration.

The NDA site at Trawsfynydd is home to a Magnox station which is being decommissioned by Magnox Ltd, a subsidiary of the NDA. The NDA also owns land outside the Magnox site boundary which could be used for a new nuclear development.

As part of this new arrangement, the NDA will share information about the characteristics of the available land at the Trawsfynydd site, its decommissioning plans (to support schedule and work-force planning) and support Cwmni Egino in the development of its socio-economic plans.

It will also offer an opportunity for Cwmni Egino to engage with potential developers and technology providers who wish to participate in the development of the Trawsfynydd site.   

Any formal commitment of NDA land, or other support, would require government approval via NDA’s sponsoring department BEIS.

Cwmni Egino is progressing its plans for a development at Trawsfynydd and hope to be in a position to confirm their outline business proposition within the year.    

They are also engaged with the newly created government body Great British Nuclear, led by Simon Bowen, which will bring forward new projects.

David Peattie, NDA CEO, said: 

As well as delivering our mission, we’re committed to helping the government in supporting its energy goals and our partnership with Cwmni Egino, around the potential future use of land at Trawsfynydd, is testament to our continued support of government policy and our socio-economic obligations.

Gwen Parry-Jones, Magnox Ltd CEO, added:

The formal collaboration between NDA and Cwmni Egino is fantastic news for Trawsfynydd and affirms our mission to safely clean-up the site for other uses. It also presents a significant opportunity to benefit the community around the site building on and utilising the world-leading skills and expertise of our nuclear workforce.

Alan Raymant, CEO of Cwmni Egino said:

Our relationship with NDA and Magnox is critical to the successful delivery of our vision for the development of new nuclear at Trawsfynydd. This collaboration agreement provides the foundation for a fruitful partnership that will bring benefits to the local community and help deliver the Energy Security Strategy.

The charity was registered in 1995 and operates a school providing Islamic and national curriculum education to children and young people.

The Commission’s inquiry found that the charity’s trustees were responsible for serious mismanagement and misconduct in the administration of the charity which placed its funds, property and beneficiaries at significant risk.

The inquiry was opened in 2018 after an altercation on the charity’s premises, which required the police’s intervention. It involved one of the Charity’s then trustees, who was also the school’s safeguarding lead.

As a result of the incident, the police searched the charity’s premises and seized over £400,000 in cash, which was being kept in a wooden chest on the property. The Commission has concluded that keeping charitable funds in cash and storing them unsafely was mismanagement and put the funds at risk.

The trustees were responsible for governance failures which meant that the school did not adhere to the standards expected of independent schools. Since 2013 Ofsted has rated the school, the operation of which is the charity’s primary activity, as either ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ and highlighted governance concerns in its 2019 report. Trustees are required to ensure their charity complies with the law as it relates to the charity’s activities, in this case the independent school standards.

Over the course of the Commission’s engagement with the charity, there have been improvements in the school’s compliance with independent school standards. An Ofsted inspection in May 2021 concluded that the school met all standards examined in that inspection. Similarly, the trustees demonstrated improved internal financial controls, including moving away from a heavy reliance on the use of cash.

The Commission disqualified two former trustees and issued two other trustees with Official Warnings in relation to their conduct. The Official Warnings were issued because their conduct resulted in a breach of duty and misconduct and/or mismanagement in the Charity’s administration.

Tim Hopkins, Assistant Director of Investigations and Inquiries at the Charity Commission said:

The public rightly expect high standards of governance and integrity from charity trustees. Unfortunately, our inquiry has found the former trustees of Darul-Uloom School London did not meet those standards.

Our inquiry has taken robust action to address wrongdoing and harm, including in disqualifying two former trustees. I hope that the current trustees learn the lessons from what has happened and ensure that the charity is more securely and effectively managed so it can deliver the best possible services for its beneficiaries.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.
2. The Commission opened the inquiry on 15 June 2018. View the full inquiry report.