The Bishop of Guildford received the following written answer on 27th June 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Guildford asked Her Majesty’s Government:
- in advance of the third anniversary of the publication of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians, published on 4 July 2019, whether they intend to fulfil recommendation 22 of that report.
- who will conduct the review of the progress made since the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians, published on 4 July 2019; what will be their terms of reference; and when the findings of this review will be published.
- whether they intend to implement any of the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians, published on 4 July 2019, after 4 July this year.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK’s longstanding human rights priorities. The Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to FoRB by appointing Fiona Bruce, MP, as his Special Envoy for FoRB. On 5-6 July 2022, the UK Government will host an international Ministerial conference in London to drive forward international efforts on FoRB, demonstrating our leading role in supporting freedom and openness.
The Bishop of Truro’s review provided recommendations for a Government response to support members of all faiths, beliefs, and those of no religious belief. We have taken forward the 22 recommendations in a way that makes a real change for everyone persecuted for their religion or belief. In line with recommendation 22, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office commissioned an independent review to assess the implementation of the Bishop of Truro’s recommendations. The independent report will be published in due course.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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