On 28th November 2024, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 28th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much of their recently announced £10.3 million of additional funding to Bangladesh is dedicated to supporting Rohingya refugees.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about support for Rohingya refugees”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 28th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure better co-ordination of guidance given to medical practitioners, teachers, and faith leaders on reporting and protecting girls from female genital mutilation.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about issues affecting women and girls”The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on government plans to recognise Cornish identity within the future Council of the Nations and Regions on 27th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, given that the UK Government have recognised the distinctive identity of the Cornish through the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, can the Minister say whether there are any plans to recognise that identity within the Council of the Nations and Regions, irrespective of whether they vote for a mayor? I note that the Cornish do not take kindly to being called English.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about recognition of Cornish regional identity”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 27th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to increase prosecution rates against those who have committed offences relating to female genital mutilation.
Lord Hermer (Lab, Attorney General): This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade and addressing female genital mutilation (FGM) is critical to achieving this.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about prosecutions for female genital mutilation”The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 27th November 2024:
The Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to implement the 22 recommendations set out in the Bishop of Truro’s independent review of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians, published in July 2019; and what is their timescale for doing so.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about support for persecuted Christians”The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on the importance of the rule of law on 26th November 2024, highlighting the intersection of the rule of law with faith communities and the need to uphold human rights legislation, particularly with regards to immigration and asylum:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Smith, for bringing this debate forward and congratulate her on her outstanding maiden speech. I also congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Laing of Elderslie, on hers.
While I feel an utter novice in this area, especially following such informed speeches, I am acutely aware that your Lordships have a role in reviewing decisions of the General Synod of the Church of England and passing—or not—our Measures into law. As such, our ecclesiastical laws are also laws of the land. The Church of England values its participation in this process, and, by virtue of that, engaging with any debate on the rule of law that strengthens the ordering of a safe, healthy and flourishing society.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich highlights importance of rule of law for faith and society”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the impact of flooding on farming communities on 26th November 2025, following a government statement on the aftermath of Storm Bert:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I ask the Minister to return to our farming communities. We know that this is a complex problem and we rely on our farmers to work very collaboratively with all sorts of agencies to try to prevent the water coming down into vulnerable areas. As we have noted in the last few days, our farming community is already quite vulnerable and feeling very nervous, particularly because there are some reports that the Countryside Stewardship higher-tier scheme may not open until mid-2025. It is another thing that may affect some of our farmers. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that her department does everything it can to bring the application dates of the Countryside Stewardship higher-tier fund forward as much as possible, to help our farmers?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of flooding on farming communities”On 26th November 2024, the Bishop of Newcastle tabled a question on increases in drug-related deaths in England and Wales during 2023, asking what steps the government would take to reduce the number of such deaths:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of data published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 October indicating that the number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales was higher in 2023 than in any other year since records began in 1993, and what steps they are taking to reduce the number of such deaths.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle asks about increases in drug related deaths in England and Wales”The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on steps being taken to call on Israel to act in accordance with the UN Charter and international humanitarian law on 26th November 2024, during a discussion on restrictions on international aid workers in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, what specific steps are being taken to call on Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international humanitarian law?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about steps taken to ensure Israel acts in accordance with humanitarian law”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.