Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many, and what proportion of, people reoffended within one year of release from prison by accommodation status at (1) release, and (2) three months post-release, in each of the last three years.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about rate of reoffending among those released from prison”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the launch of the new Congolese rebel group known as Alliance Fleuve Congo and the consequences for relations between the East African Community and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rebel groups in Democratic Republic of Congo”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many days is a GP on site on the Bibby Stockholm each week; and whether they have plans to review this level of provision.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): The medical facility on the barge is staffed 5 days a week to provide an onsite primary healthcare service with which the asylum seekers will register; this means individuals will not need to register with a local GP practice. The medical team has previous experience of working with asylum seekers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about presence of GPs on the Bibby Stockholm barge”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many applications were received for a Mother and Baby Unit place in prison in the past five years; and of those, how many were (1) accepted, or (2) refused, broken down by reason for refusal.
Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): Total figures for applications received, approved and refused are provided in the table below.
As decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and the reasons can be complex, reasons for refusal are not currently collated, and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about applications for mother-and-baby units in prisons”The Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich spoke in the debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill on 29th January 2024, arguing that the bill represented a loss of moral compass for the UK, and that the approach to the legislation by the government was constitutionally inappropriate:
The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich: My Lords, as the 41st speaker, I will inevitably repeat or underline others’ points, but I will briefly make a couple of observations. I am struck that some noble Lords supporting the Bill nevertheless do so with a hint of equivocation, saying that it is not perfect or the final destination. In addition, I have not heard evidence that the proposal will work. The Minister commented in opening that progress had been made and the numbers of those coming across in boats had decreased. Why do we not put more effort into the courses that have enabled that reduction?
I do not think there is a single noble Lord who is not determined that the dangerous boat crossings of those seeking asylum in this country be stopped. Our valuing of and care for human life and the plight of those fleeing danger place a moral duty on us to work out a way to stop these perilous crossings and find a just and safe way for people to find refuge. We know from the Government’s figures that the great majority of those who have sought asylum in this country through this life-endangering method have had their applications upheld. We are not talking about people risking their lives without legitimate cause. We need to find, as a number of noble Lords have said, safe ways to achieve this goal with our European neighbours. This is a good moral purpose to which I believe we would all assent.
Continue reading “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich questions constitutional basis and moral implications of bill”The Bishop of London asked a question on UK efforts to collaborate with the EU in cancer research on 29th January 2024, during a discussion on a projected £1 billion gap in cancer research funding:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Stevens, will know, Cancer Research reported in its 2023 researcher survey that while 98% of respondents said that collaboration with EU-based scientists is important, 79% said that since Brexit it had been harder to begin new collaborations with EU-based researchers and scientists. What steps are the Government taking to prioritise collaboration between the EU and the UK in this area, especially with compatibility with the EU clinical trials regulatory framework?
Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about possibility of collaboration with EU on cancer research”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Bishop of Worcester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking (1) to secure a ceasefire, and (2) to press for an investigation by the International Criminal Court of violations of international humanitarian law, in Gaza.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK wants to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out, and as a vital first step towards building a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. But to achieve that:
Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester asks about steps towards a ceasefire and investigation into the conflict in Gaza”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government (1) how many, and (2) what proportion, of prisons in England and Wales currently provide secure video calls for prisoners.
Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): All prisons (100%) across England and Wales have the capability to offer secure video calls with approved family members and friends, responding to demand from prisoners.
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, and what representations they are making to the government of Azerbaijan in this regard.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh”
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