Month: November 2017

Bishop of Worcester praises contribution of Muslims to UK society, following tweets by President Trump

On November 30th 2017 the House of Lords heard repeated a Government statement about online hate speech, following the sharing by the United States President Donald Trump of material about Muslims produced by the far-right organisation ‘Britain First’. The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: Further to the last point made by the noble Lord, does the Minister agree that in addition to abhorring violence, the vast majority of Muslims in this country make an immeasurable contribution to the life of this country, for which we should be profoundly grateful and which needs to be expressed by this House? Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester praises contribution of Muslims to UK society, following tweets by President Trump”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about plans to increase working age benefits in line with inflation

On 30th November 2017 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on the uprating on welfare benefits with inflation:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 16 November (HL Deb, col 2187), whether they plan to revert to uprating working age benefits in line with inflation at the end of the current four-year freeze. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about plans to increase working age benefits in line with inflation”

Bishop of Leeds asks about quality control for interpretation services in criminal proceedings

On 29th November 2017 Baroness Coussins asked Her Majesty’s Government “whether they have revised their target for annual budget savings on the cost of providing interpretation and translation services in criminal proceedings, following the allocation of the latest contract for those services to thebigword; and if so, what is their new target.” The Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, there is clearly a difference between interpretation and translation. I speak as a former professional linguist. What about quality control? Will the Minister comment on that? Being able to deal with a language is not the same as being a competent interpreter, sometimes of very delicate matters. Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about quality control for interpretation services in criminal proceedings”

Church Commissioners’ Written answer: Religious freedom

On 29th November 2017 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP, answered a written question from Jim Shannon MP about religious freedom.

Jim Shannon(Strangford): To ask the Honourable Member for Meridan, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in the UK who face difficulties in following their faith in the (a) workplace and the (b) public forum. Continue reading “Church Commissioners’ Written answer: Religious freedom”

Bishop of Worcester says church can help society improve mental health services for black and ethnic minority communities

On 28th November 2017  Lord Boateng led a debate in the House of Lords “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in improving mental health services for people from black and ethnic minority communities.” The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, I, too, am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, for securing this debate and, like the noble Lord, Lord Ouseley, pay tribute not only to his eloquent introduction but to all he has done in this area. We owe him a great debt of gratitude.​
Some of the evidence which has already been cited—there is lots more— concerning black and minority-ethnic individuals and mental health is a dreadful indictment of our society. One of the most shocking statistics to me is that UK minority-ethnic individuals are 40% more likely than white Britons to come into contact with mental health services through the criminal justice system rather than through referral from GPs or talking therapies. Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester says church can help society improve mental health services for black and ethnic minority communities”

Bishop of St Albans presses Government on anti-littering strategy

On 28th November 2017 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a question he had tabled to Government about its plans to reduce waste. The exchange with the Minister and subsequent questions from other Members are below:

Budget: Reduction of Waste

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to implement action announced in the Budget Statement to reduce levels of waste. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans presses Government on anti-littering strategy”

Bishop of Worcester asks Government to improve mental health treatment and tackle stigma

On 28th November 2017 Baroness Wheeler asked Her Majesty’s Government “what actions they are taking to address the concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission in its review published in October about the particular difficulties faced by children and young people in vulnerable circumstances, such as looked-after children and those with learning disabilities, in accessing mental health care.” The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: Does the Minister agree that there remains, despite lots of good work, a terrible stigma attached to mental health problems? Will he assure us that the Government are committed to tackling it, as we seek to do in the Church, while also improving provision for identification and treatment? Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester asks Government to improve mental health treatment and tackle stigma”

Bishop of Worcester – lifelong learning should be as much about virtue and character as the acquisition of skills

On November 27th 2017  Lord Watson of Invergowrie led a debate in the House of Lords “To move that this House takes note of the case for a comprehensive strategy for life-long learning and adult re-skilling in response to the challenges of technology, productivity, and the changing nature of work.” The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, I echo the thanks expressed to the noble Lord, Lord Watson, for securing this debate. It is clearly essential for the prosperity of our nation that lifelong learning is made a priority. Following cuts in the recent past, the Budget offered some welcome additional funding, including new funding for training in digital skills and construction, and the announcement of a retraining scheme for adults. The industrial strategy published today is a welcome step forward. Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester – lifelong learning should be as much about virtue and character as the acquisition of skills”

Bishop of Durham praises work of faith-based agencies in tackling domestic violence

On 27th November 2017 Baroness Donaghy asked Her Majesty’s Government “whether the proposed Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill will include measures to prevent violence against women and girls as well as criminal justice measures to deal with perpetrators.” The Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, while recognising that faith communities have serious issues of domestic violence abuse within themselves, does the Minister also recognise that they contribute a great deal to tackling it through organisations such as the Mothers’ Union, Restored and Kahrmel Wellness, and that today, 16 days of global action begin to try to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse? Continue reading “Bishop of Durham praises work of faith-based agencies in tackling domestic violence”

Week in Westminster, 20th-24th November 2017

This week in the House of Lords bishops  spoke in a debate on defence and peacebuilding, and asked questions about religious freedom and the Commonwealth summit, universal Credit, Brexit, food banks, Israel, and schools. The Bishop of Birmingham issued a response to the Autumn Budget statement. The former Bishop of London, Rt Revd Lord Chartres, was introduced to the House as a life peer and took his seat on the crossbenches. Continue reading “Week in Westminster, 20th-24th November 2017”