Author: parliamentaryunit

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports expansion of “serious violence” definition to include domestic abuse

On 27th October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill in the third day of committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during the debate, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Bertin to include domestic abuse in the definition of “serious violence” under the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too add my support to the amendment moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Bertin. Many points have been covered, and I simply want to say that if the definition of serious violence is not expanded in this way, the concern is that many local areas will not consider it within their strategies.

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Bishop of Bristol asks about health and social care levy

On 27th October 2021, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on access to social care funding via the health and social care levy:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: Can the Minister give an assessment of whether the health and social care levy will enable more people with moderate care needs to become eligible for social care funding?

Lord Kamall (Con): I thank the right reverend Prelate for that question. I am not able to answer it directly now, but I will send an answer.

Hansard

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Mission in Revision Paper

On 26th October 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Gareth Davies MP (Con, Grantham & Stamford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations he has received from (a) lay parish members and (b) clergy on the Mission from (i) from Grantham and Stamford constituency and (ii) areas of England on the Mission in Revision Synod Paper (GS2222).

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Bishop of Durham asks about support for developing countries affected by climate change

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 26th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support countries that are vulnerable to disruption caused by climate change; what discussions they have had with the government of Burundi about the impact of rising water levels of Lake Tanganyika on the displacement of people; and what support, if any, they intend to provide to that country to mitigate the effects of climate change.

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Bishop of Bristol speaks on importance of data gathering to address ethnicity pay gap

On 25th October 2021, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the ethnicity pay gap in the UK, emphasising the importance of accurate data collection to understand and address pay gap issues:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, for raising this Question for Short Debate.

I know from my experience as the former Dean of York the significant positive impact gender pay gap reporting had on the implementation of inclusion policies in an institution which had previously been overwhelmingly male. Careful attention to the gender pay gap required us to focus continuously on developing opportunities for women, not least in our stoneyard among carpenters and stonemasons, where we achieved parity. We had equal opportunity for girl and boy choristers—but I admit that the back row of the choir presented more of a challenge.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about alleviating rural poverty

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on efforts to alleviate in-work poverty in rural areas on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the Rural Services Network Towards the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, published in June, what plans they have accurately to reflect in-work rural poverty in future funding allocation mechanisms.

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Bishop of Bristol asks about timescale for improving consideration of environmental concerns in policy-making

On 25th October 2021, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on consideration of nature and the environment in policy-making, during a debate on risks of climate change:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, following the recent Dasgupta review, then Government committed to incorporating nature into the national accounts and improving guidance for embedding environmental concerns into policy-making processes. Can the Government provide an update on the timescale for this work?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about crimes of violence by police officers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to research by Femicide Census which found that 16 former or serving police officers had committed femicide since 2009, what assessment they have made as to whether male former or serving police officers commit violence against women, including femicide, at a higher rate compared to the general adult male population.

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Bishop of Durham asks about new Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the proposed new Rwandan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Busingye Johnston, upholds international law; whether they intend to accept his diplomatic credentials; and what discussions they will have with the government of Rwanda about upholding international law.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about arms sales to Myanmar

The Lord Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to encourage other governments to adopt the UN resolution of 19 June calling for nations to halt arms sales to Myanmar and the ruling military junta.

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