Author: parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Oxford asks about tackling offensive material on social media

The Bishop of Oxford asked a question on development of a code of practice for tackling offensive online content on 23rd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, the requirement to love our neighbours as ourselves makes practical demands of our online behaviour: not only what is posted but also what is endorsed, what is given the oxygen of repetition and what is tolerated. The digital common good is threatened from both sides: by those who post racist and offensive material and by some social media sites that craft algorithms to curate, propagate and perpetuate in order to maximise income. So will the Government give urgent consideration to implementing a code of practice for both hate crime and wider legal harms, perhaps along the lines of the model code that Carnegie UK and a number of other civil society organisations, including my office, recently co-drafted?

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Bishop of Durham asks about immigration detention facilities

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 23rd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans, if any, they have for an immigration centre for women on the former site of Hassockfield Secure Training Centre.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about impact of COVID-19 on the prison system

The Bishop of Gloucester tabled a question on the impact of COVID-19 on the UK prison system and on the welfare of prisoners on 22nd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the (1) welfare, (2) rehabilitation, (3) sentence management, and (4) mental health, of prisoners.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about accessible housing

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 22nd March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish a summary of responses to their Raising accessibility standards for new homes consultation, which closed on 1 December 2020.

Lord Greenhalgh (Con, MHCLG): The Government response to the consultation on raising accessibility standards for new homes will be published later this year and it will include a summary of responses.

Hansard

Bishop of Southwark asks about human rights in the Philippines

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 22nd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked  Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the human rights situation in the Philippines, and (2) the impact of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (Republic Act No. 11479) on human rights in the Philippines.

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Bishop of London asks about removal of unsafe cladding from buildings

The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 22nd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that leaseholders are not required to pay for the removal of unsafe cladding from residential blocks before the Building Safety Bill 2019–2021 becomes law.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about study abroad opportunities

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 22nd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the differences between (1) the Turing scheme, and (2) the Erasmus+ scheme.
  • what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision not to pay for the tuition of disadvantaged students on the Turing scheme on the ability of such students to study abroad.
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Bishop of St Albans asks about status of British Nationals Overseas in Hong Kong

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 22nd February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the governments of Hong Kong and China not to continue to recognise British National (Overseas) passports as valid travel documents.

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Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks at second reading

The Bishop of Durham spoke at the second reading of the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill on 19th March 2021, supporting the bill and emphasising the need to ensure affordable and ethically made school uniforms be made accessible to all:

The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: My Lords, I speak in my capacity as chair of the National Society, and thus lead bishop in the Church of England for education. In principle, uniform is a fantastic leveller: it can foster unity and provides an opportunity for students to worry less about the challenges of fitting in. It is therefore worrying to find that the cost of uniforms is instead causing division by highlighting disparities. Having poverty- aware uniform policies means that we can avoid worsening the disadvantages that a child in poverty is already faced with. We must return uniforms to being beneficial, which the Bill will do. The Bill has my support, as it would ensure that all families can afford uniforms.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Farms

On 19th March 2021, Andrew Selous MP, on behalf of the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP:

Church of England: Farms

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what forums are available for the church to engage with its farm tenants on ideas for farm business development and environmental management of holdings.

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