Parliament met in Westminster and online this week. The Bishop of Carlisle was on duty in the House of Lords and read prayers at the start of each sitting day.
He asked questions about Child Trust Funds, access to cancer treatment in the developing world, and supported amendments to prohibit or regulate the use of children by police and security services in covert investigations.
The Bishop of London asked about domestic abuse of elderly people during covid lockdown.
The Bishop of St Albans asked Government about the announced overseas aid cut, Eritrean refugees, and received written answers to questions on gambling, outdoor carol singing, hospice funding, the effects of quantitative easing, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
He and the Bishops of Coventry, Southwark and Leeds received written answers to seven questions about armed conflict, peace, reconstruction and religious and cultural sites in Nagorno Karabakh.
The Bishop of Portsmouth responded to the Government’s spending review announcement, focusing on universal credit and aid
The Bishop of Gloucester received written answers to questions on prisoner release over Christmas and contact with family.
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I speak in support of Amendment 43, in the names of my right reverend friend the Bishop of Durham, the noble Lord, Lord Young, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Chakrabarti and Lady Bull, and Amendment 60, in the names of the noble Baronesses, Lady Young and Lady Hamwee, and the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy of Southwark. As we have heard, both concern the treatment of children.
The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, I was delighted to hear the Chancellor stress that the Government would continue to support the most vulnerable, but the proof of that assertion will be in how much money the Government are prepared to provide. That will be the barometer of what and who they consider most important. I therefore join my voice to those profoundly deprecating the proposed cut in development aid. I urge the Government to think again. 
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, does the Minister agree that some children with learning disabilities who want to access trust funds might have life-limiting conditions? There might not be much time available for legal processes to be gone through. Can she assure the House that, if such situations have not already been considered, they will be given the attention that they deserve?
On 2nd and 3rd December the Bishop of Gloucester received written answers to three questions on prisoner release over Christmas and contact with family:
On 3rd December 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on the effect of quantative easing on wages and house prices:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I ask the Minister to answer the question from the noble Lord, Lord Collins: will Her Majesty’s Government include a sunset clause in any legislation amending the International Development Act?
The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: Prior to the conflict, Tigray was a safe haven for Eritrean refugees afraid to return home because of fear of persecution. With Eritrea’s rumoured involvement in the conflict against the TPLF, what assessment have Her Majesty’s Government made of the validity of claims that the Eritrean military are forcing refugees into trucks and abducting them back to Eritrea?
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the Armenian diaspora about (1) the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and (2) the ceasefire agreement brokered by the government of Russia. [HL10643]
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the economic, and (2) the diplomatic, consequences for the UK of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. [HL10490]
The Church of England in Parliament 
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