§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the preparations for Holocaust Memorial Day 2001. [141327]
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§ Mr. Mike O'BrienPreparations are well in hand.
A Home Office-led Steering Group has been developing guidance and plans since January when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, announced the establishment of Holocaust Memorial day. The Steering Group includes representatives from a wide range of Government Departments and non-government departments (NGOs).
On 23 October the Local Government Association sent guidance to local authorities on ways they can mark the day, encouraging them to involve local communities and groups. This guidance was produced by a working group chaired by the Acting Chief Executive of the London Borough of Barnet and involved a number of representatives of NGOs with experience and expertise in Holocaust education and remembrance. These included the Board of Deputies of British jews, Beth Shalom Memorial Centre, Anne Frank Educational Trust, Holocaust Educational Trust and Pink Triangle Coalition. The guidance has also been distributed to a wide range of voluntary and community groups through the Commission for Race Equality, the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service, Stonewall, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and the Interfaith Network. This effort is being reinforced by seminars for local authority chief officers being run jointly by the Local Government Association and Beth Shalom Memorial Centre. Local authorities have been asked to put details of activities in their areas onto the dedicated website www.holocaustmemorialday.gov.uk.
On 9 November 2000, the Minister for Schools, the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment, the hon. Member for Redditch (Jacqui Smith), launched a new Holocaust education resource pack for use by schools and others in the week leading up to Holocaust Memorial Day. An editorial team from NGOs with experience and expertise in Holocaust education, research and remembrance produced the education Pack, which was quality assured by Department for Education and Employment. These were the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Holocaust Educational Trust, Pink Triangle Coalition, Anne Frank Educational Trust, London Jewish Cultural Centre, the Wiener Library, Southampton University and Ben Helfgott, himself a Holocaust survivor, from the Yad Vashem Committee. Nearly 30,000 packs have already been issued.
A national ceremony will be held in London on the evening of Saturday 27 January and will be attended by a wide audience including senior public figures, community representatives and students. The event is being produced and televised live by the BBC guided by the Steering Group.
I would like to encourage all Members of Parliament to support and encourage activities in their constituencies to mark the first United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Day. The day is relevant to all of us. Its focus is on learning the lessons of the Holocaust and other more recent atrocities that raise similar issues.
A key aim of the day is to promote a democratic and tolerant society that respects and celebrates diversity and is free of the evils of prejudice. This is reflected in all of the related guidance and plans to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January.