They absolutely are not. Those communities are very much a core strand of the work. If we look at what Prevent has achieved over the period from 2011, we can see that approval has been granted to 180 projects, reaching out to 55,000 people. This year we are supporting more than 70 projects, and with the engagement of our co-ordinators we are actively building the capability of communities and civil society organisations and providing them with the skills to campaign against extremist material, including that which is available online. I recognise the point that the right hon. Lady makes, but it is absolutely our intent that Prevent will continue to do that work.
5.15 pm
The Prime Minister has announced an additional £130 million to be made available for increased counter-terrorism work, which will include Prevent activity. I can assure the right hon. Lady that although there is still work to do on how the funding is to be allocated between different aspects of our Contest strategy, Prevent will clearly be an important part of the support and indeed will help to meet the obligations that are contemplated in the Bill.
On the counter-terrorism internet referral unit, the right hon. Lady made a point about challenging extremism online, as did the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North. I underline the fact that since the CTIU was set up, 65,000 pieces of unlawful terrorist-related content have been taken down, with 46,000 items being taken down since December 2013. There is the ability to report that. The general point has been made about the role of industry, and there is more that industry can do. That is a point that we as a Government have underlined very clearly. It is also a message that this House has underlined, reflecting as it has on the work of the Intelligence and Security Committee in its recent report.
Let me move now to the specifics of the right hon. Lady’s amendment. In respect of the duties in the Bill, confronting extremism that can lead to terrorism is not some implicit aspect of this but absolutely intrinsic to the work. That was why we did not see the necessity of
placing this matter in an explicit way in the Bill, because it is so intrinsic in meeting that obligation. We believe that that is adequately covered in the duty, but obviously I will continue to reflect on the clear message that the right hon. Lady has given on this. I recognise the sincerity and the manner in which she has advanced her amendment.
I certainly recognise that extremism goes much wider than terrorism and includes behaviour that it would not be appropriate to target in counter-terrorism legislation or work, and that we must not consider that wide-ranging work solely through the lens of counter-terrorism. That is why the Home Secretary has announced that the Home Office is developing and leading a new extremism strategy across Government, recognising that it is not simply the Home Office that should be involved, as a number of different Departments also have roles and responsibilities. We plan to publish the new strategy in the spring.
Amendment 19 would change clause 24 to say that the Secretary of State “must” instead of “may”
“issue guidance to specified authorities about the exercise of their duty”.
We have publicly committed to issuing guidance at the same time as we commence these provisions. We will be publishing a draft version of that guidance for consultation very shortly. The guidance will set out the type of activity that we expect specified authorities to consider when complying with the duty. The draft guidance will set out a risk-based approach to the Prevent duty. As a starting point, all specified authorities should demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the risk of radicalisation in their area, institution or body. It will also address the circumstances in which it is appropriate to share information and make it clear that neither the Prevent programme nor this duty will involve any covert activity.
I want to take on board the point about universities and freedom of speech. As I have said previously, universities’ commitment to freedom of speech and the rationality underpinning the advancement of knowledge mean that they represent one of our most important safeguards against extremist views and ideologies. The duty is not about restricting freedom of speech.