On 31st January 2019 the Bishop of Gloucester, Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, asked a question she had tabled to Government on its female offender strategy:
Female Offender Strategy
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in implementing the female offenders’ strategy.
The Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Keen of Elie) (Con): My Lords, the Female Offender Strategy, published in June 2018, outlines the Government’s long-term vision for improving outcomes for female offenders in custody and in the community. The strategy sets out a programme of work that contains a number of commitments that will take some years to implement. A new women’s policy framework was published last December, and my noble friend Lord Farmer’s review of family ties for female offenders is expected to report in the coming weeks.
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I welcome that information from the Minister, which follows many positive commitments to the female offender strategy. However, we are still awaiting news of residential pilots, action to strengthen links between probation services and women’s centres, the report from the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, and a national concordat. Given that many of the strategy’s commitments have no clear timescales—indeed, in some cases the suggested deadline has already passed—how does the Minister plan to effectively monitor progress and stay on track?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks Government about progress on female offenders strategy”
On 30th January 2019 the House of Lords debated a question from Baroness Tyler of Enfield, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent concerns expressed by general practitioners that children and young people with mental health problems are unable to access National Health Service treatments; and what steps they will take to address them.” The Bishop of Carlisle, Rt Revd James Newcome, spoke in the debate:
On 29th and 30th January the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received four written answers to questions on the NHS and gambling related harm and rehabilitation:
On the 29th January 2019, Rt Revd Stephen Conway, Bishop of Ely responded to a Government Statement on teacher recruitment.
On 28th January 2019 Lord Crisp asked the Government ” what plans they have to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale in 2020.” The Bishop of London, Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, asked a follow-up question:
This week in the House of Lords bishops spoke about poverty in the UK, cultural and heritage services facing council cuts, and on a customs union amendment to the Government’s Trade Bill. They asked questions on Religious Education in the English Baccalaureate, EU environmental regulations, rail services in the north east, and the welfare of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran. 
On 24th January 2019 the Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, spoke in a debate tabled by Lord Scriven, “That this House takes note of the ability of local authorities across the United Kingdom to deliver essential services to their communities.”
On 23rd January 2019 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Trade Bill during its Committee stage. The Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, spoke during debate on Amendment 24, moved by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara, which sought to keep the UK in a customs union with the European Union.
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, the latest quarterly statistics released from the Office of Rail and Road show that the London North Eastern Railway has suffered its worst punctuality levels in over a decade and came second—not an honour—on the list of the 10 worst train services for punctuality. As my noble friend Lord Cormack said, we had hopes for the new Azuma trains, but there is a lack of investment in infrastructure in the north—the signalling systems north of York are over 30 years old. Will the Minister tell us when the necessary infrastructure works will take place in order for these trains to run as they should to serve the people of the north-east and Scotland?
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.