The Bishop of Carlisle received the following written answer on 26th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle asked Her Majesty’s Government when they will allocate the remainder of the £40 million pledged to brain cancer research announced in May 2018.
Continue reading “Bishop of Carlisle asks about funding for brain cancer research”
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 26th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers they have asked (1) Mears, (2) Serco, and (3) Clearsprings Ready Homes, to provide accommodation for as part of Operation Oak.
Lord Greenhalgh (Con, Home Office): We currently have c8100 people in hotels, with our providers working to procure sufficient accommodation across the UK to exit contingency accommodation and maintain a business as usual operation thereafter.
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The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 26th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of freedom of religion or belief in Egypt.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): The UK welcomes the positive steps taken by the Government of Egypt in recent years, including President Sisi’s public commitment to upholding the rights of minorities and freedom of worship, as well as the protections for freedom of religion enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. We were also encouraged by the opening of the Middle East’s largest cathedral in Egypt in 2019.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about issues faced by the Anglican Church in Egypt”
The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 26th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of London asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the breakdown by (1) protected characteristic, and (2) socio-economic background, of the patients who choose to opt out of surgery following the waiting list validation process.
Lord Bethell (Con, DHSC): No formal assessment has been made. Data on protected characteristics and socio-economic background is not collected centrally.
On 22nd April 2021, the Bishop of Durham moved the Church of England Cathedrals Measure in the House of Lords, asking that the measure be approved for Royal Assent. The Bishop of Oxford also spoke in support of the measure:
The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: That this House do direct that, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919, the Cathedrals Measure be presented to Her Majesty for the Royal Assent.
My Lords, I beg to move the second Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. The Cathedrals Measure provides a new statutory framework for the governance and regulation of 41 Church of England cathedrals and will replace the framework in the Cathedrals Measure 1999.
Our cathedrals are national treasures which it is both a privilege and a responsibility to care for. They play a key role in our national life, with some 10 million adults visiting them each year and around 330,000 children enjoying free educational visits to them. All our cathedrals are involved in work in their local community, and they contribute around £220 million annually to the UK economy, employing some 3,000 people. Above all, however, each cathedral serves its community as the mother church of its area and the seat of a bishop, and remains in use for its original purpose.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham moves Cathedrals Measure”On 22nd April 2021, the Bishop of Durham spoke in support of the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure, asking that the House of Lords approve the measure:
The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: That this House do direct that, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919, the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure be presented to Her Majesty for the Royal Assent.
My Lords, the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure updates and replaces the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure 1991, which provides the legal framework within which the Church of England’s dioceses engage and work with church schools.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham moves Diocesan Boards of Education Measure”The Bishop of Carlisle spoke in a debate in response to a report from the Alcohol Harm Commission on 22nd April 2021, pointing out the strong links present between alcohol and domestic violence:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle [V]: My Lords, I too congratulate the commission on its work in highlighting the harm caused by the abuse of alcohol. I wish to focus my brief remarks on the relationship between alcohol and domestic violence.
The statistics make this clear. Home Office figures indicate that alcohol is involved in up to 50% of cases of domestic abuse, as we were informed earlier by the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay. Though not necessarily a direct cause, it is frequently a significant contributary factor. What is more, when alcohol is involved, the abuse affecting children, as well as adults, is more likely to be serious, increasing the risk of physical, emotional and psychological harm.
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The Bishop of London asked a question on use of funding to alleviate staff and support pressures in pupil referral units on 22nd April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, we welcome the increased level of catch-up funding for pupil referral units, but will the Minister tell the House how the Government will ensure that the funding alleviates the pressure on staff and students that they faced during the pandemic?
Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about funding for pupil referral units”On 22nd April 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Luke Pollard MP (Lab, Plymouth, Sutton & Devonport): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of suspending licences for trail hunting on land owned by the Church; and if he will make a statement.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Answers”During a debate on Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill on 21st April 2021, the Bishop of Gloucester tabled an amendment aimed at securing support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I will listen carefully to what the Government say in response but, as things stand, I am minded to test the opinion of the House. I draw attention to my interests as stated in the register. I thank the Minister for her work and thank the team of Ministers who have remained so committed to this Bill and have listened deeply. I am grateful for all the time that I have been given to discuss this, but I remain hugely frustrated.
I listened very carefully last week as the other place considered the amendments that we made to the Bill. The Government’s solution to this issue, as we have just heard, is the pilot support for migrant victims scheme. This is insufficient. Although the Minister has just spoken warmly of what it will provide, it is for a limited number of people only. It is estimated that the pilot project will not be able to provide the holistic wraparound support needed to aid recovery, even by those women who access it. It is likely that organisations will need to provide extra support, using donations and other funds, to cover services such as counselling and therapeutic support and medical, travel and legal costs. The pilot project will therefore remain an inadequate means to assess needs.
I remain committed, as I know others do, to ensuring that the Bill is as good as it can be for all victims of domestic abuse. Amid all the debate and discussion, I return again and again to the people—the men, women and children—behind the words and policies. No person should be subject to the horrors of domestic violence, coercion and control. The degradation of humanity in this manner is an evil, and we must do all that we can to stamp it out.
Continue reading “Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester tables amendment on support for migrant victims of domestic abuse”
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