On 3rd April 2020 the Bishop of London, Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, received a written answer to a question on Covid-19 support to people in immigration removal centres:
The Lord Bishop of London: HL2780 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide healthcare and support services to people in immigration removal centres during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading “Bishop of London asks Government about Covid-19 support to people in immigration removal centres”
On 1st April 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on reviewing the Gambling Act 2005:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL2887 To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 18 March (HL2292), whether they will now answer the question put: when the (1) terms of reference, (2) call for evidence, and (3) deadlines, of the review of the Gambling Act 2005 will be announced. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about progress on reviewing the 2005 Gambling Act”
On 30th March 2020 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question on visa requirements for religious workers under the new points-based immigration system:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: HL2680 To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there will be any change to the existing requirements for a Temporary Worker-Religious Worker visa (Tier 5) under the new points-based immigration system. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about visa requirements for religious workers under the new points-based immigration system:”
This week in Parliament the Bishop of Rochester and the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous, spoke during debates on the Government’s Coronavirus Bill. The Government accepted an amendment to the Bill to enable General Synod elections to be postponed.
The Bishop of Rochester also asked a question about Government discussions with charities on the coronavirus response.
Government ministers answered written questions on Falun Gong in China, visas for ministers of religion, and nutrition, from respectively the Bishops of Carlisle, Southwark and St Albans.
Andrew Selous MP, answered written questions from MPs on cashless giving to churches, and maintenance of graveyards.
Parliament rose for the Easter recess, to return on April 21st. Continue reading “Week in Westminster, 23rd-26th March 2020”
On 25th March 2020 the House of Lords passed the Government’s emergency Coronavirus Bill. It then rose for the Easter recess. The Lord Bishop of Rochester, Rt Revd James Langstaff, praised the spirit of collaboration in which all sides had worked to get the Bill through.
On 25th March 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on nutrition:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL2452 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguards they have put in place to ensure that protein fermentation products (1) provide good nutritional value, and (2) do not add to existing dietary and food standards concerns.Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about nutritional values”
On 24th March 2020 Lord Dannatt asked the Government “what plans they have to provide additional support to charities working with people who are self-isolating as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The Bishop of Rochester, Rt Revd James Langstaff, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, the noble Baroness has indicated that conversations are going on between the Government and the sector. I wonder whether she could give us more detail on that and on whether new networks are being put in place in the present circumstances, especially to link not just with the larger charities but with the wider sector, particularly those on the ground.
On 24th March 2020 the House of Lords debated the emergency legislation from the Government to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic. The Bishop of Rochester, Rt Revd James Langstaff, spoke in the debate, highlighting issues to do with church closures, funerals, and care of the vulnerable, including the homeless, and those in prison or immigration detention:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, in these days I have been reflecting on the words of the Hebrew psalmist who, at the time of his people’s exile, articulated the question:
“How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”
In many ways we are entering into a strange land, and indeed in some ways a land of exile: a land in which we are exiled from many of our normal patterns of living, in which people of faith are not able to attend their places of worship and in which many people find themselves having to live life in entirely new ways.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners’ written answer: cashless giving”
Continue reading “Church Commissioners’ written answer: graveyard maintenance”
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, from these Benches I echo everything that has just been said. Noble Lords and noble Baronesses who come in to Prayers will know that one of the prayers said by the duty bishop concerns the purpose for which this House is here—namely, the commonwealth, the common well-being, of our nation—and, in some senses, the way in which its business is to be conducted.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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