Integration, citizenship and British values: ministers to give evidence to citizenship

The Ministers and Lord Bourne will be questioned on the Government's new strategies on democratic engagement, integration and civil society, on fundamental British values, on citizenship education, engaging with minority communities and National Citizen Service, among other issues.

The Committee's ongoing inquiry is investigating issues of citizenship and civic engagement in the twenty-first century, to find out what citizenship means now, and what barriers are preventing people from being more involved both locally and nationally.

The evidence session will begin at 10.40am on Wednesday 13 December in Committee Room 3 of the House of Lords. Questions are likely to include:

• Does the Government see a common theme of citizenship running through the three new strategies on democratic engagement, integration and civil society?
• Where is the right boundary between respecting the universal rights laid out in the Government's Fundamental British values and respecting the individual rights of communities to their own specific identities?
• Is it helpful to link promoting Fundamental British Values with counter-extremism?
• Why does the Government not consider the training of citizenship specialist teachers as a priority? 
• What information does the Government have about areas with low levels of social capital particularly areas with large numbers of white working class?
• What is the Government doing to help older and disabled people volunteer?
• What efforts have the Government made when engaging with minority communities to reach past the usual suspects and gate keepers to engage with broader civil society?
• What is the Government doing to ensure communities feel ownership of Prevent?