Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Coventry asks about role of ministers of religion in emergency services

The Bishop of Coventry asked a question on the role of spiritual comfort provided by ministers of religion to the dying, and the potential for increased role of police chaplaincy, on 22nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I greatly welcome the joint study group announced by the cardinal archbishop. Does the Minister agree that good outcomes from that study would include both further training and education to ensure that police officers understand the significance of spiritual comfort at the point of death, for the dying of whatever faith, and an increased role for police chaplaincy?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about conflict in Tigray region of Ethiopia

On 22nd November 2021, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the impact of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region on peacekeeping in East Africa, and on the refugee population of the area:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, this is a very unstable region of Africa. Ethiopia has proved crucial to stability in UN peacekeeping as well. Can the Minister say, first, how any diminution in the Ethiopian contribution to UN peacekeeping is being mitigated or compensated for elsewhere? Secondly, what is his assessment of the refugee crisis caused despite the welcome restoration of the transitional Government in Sudan?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 22nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in their funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for 2021 compared to 2020.
  • what assessment they have made of (1) the financial position of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and (2) the sustainability of the Agency’s provision of services to Palestinian refugees.
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Bishop of Southwark asks Government about deportations to Jamaica

The following written question was replied to on November 22nd 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken following the remarks by the High Commissioner for Jamaica on 4 November: “from a human rights perspective I am deeply concerned about cases in which persons are being removed having lived in the UK since childhood and have no known relations in Jamaica or familiarity with Jamaica”. [HL3845]

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Bishop of Southwark asks about organisation of a ministerial conference on Freedom of Religion & Belief

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 22nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  •  (1) what progress they have made in organising a Ministerial Conference on freedom of religion or belief in July 2022, and (2) what steps they have taken, if any, to involve civil society and faith organisations in the planning and proceedings of this conference.
  • what steps they have taken to implement the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, published on 8 July 2019.
  • what steps they plan to take to independently review the implementation of the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, published on 8 July 2019.
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Bishop of Durham asks about impact of immigration and asylum policies on children and families

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 22nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • whether family reunion rights will be restricted for all group 2 refugees as a result of the proposed changes to the law in the Nationality and Borders Bill.
  • assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed changes to family reunion rights in the Nationality and Borders Bill on the number of (1) men, (2) women, and (3) children, who will come to the UK via family reunion; whether they expect the number of such people to be lower than in previous years; and if so, by how many.
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Church Commissioner Written Answers: Asylum Seekers and Baptism

22nd November 2021

Baptism: Asylum

Chris Loder: [76831] To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many services the Church of England has conducted specifically for the purposes of Baptising people seeking asylum in each of the last five years.

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Bishop of Durham asks about use of Napier Barracks to house people seeking asylum

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 22nd November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they sought planning permission from Shepway District Council for the continued use of Napier Barracks to house people seeking asylum; and if not, why not.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about sentencing guidelines relating to pregnant women and primary carers

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on whether sentencing guidelines relating to pregnant women and primary carers are being followed, and on safeguarding training given to sentencers, on 17th November 2021, during a debate on the safety of pregnant prisoners:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, Committee on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was grateful to hear the Minister say on 1 November that

“there has been a revolution, a real sea change, in the judiciary. They really ‘get it’ when it comes to female offenders and primary carers.”—[Official Report, 1/11/21; col. 1042.]

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Bishop of St Albans asks about advertising and compensation paid by gambling companies

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 17th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the report by Bristol University What are the odds? The appeal of gambling adverts to children and young persons on twitter, published on 26 October; and particularly the findings that (1) the majority of gambling advertisements were twice as likely to appeal to children as older adults, and (2) nearly half of children and almost three quarters of young people saw gambling adverts on Twitter almost once per week.
  • what assessment they have made of the recommendation from the report by Bristol University What are the odds? The appeal of gambling adverts to children and young persons on twitter, published on 26 October, that there should be an opt-in requirement to receive gambling advertisements on social media.
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