Second Estates Commissioner welcomes relationships education in schools

On 16th July 2019 in the House of Commons Emma Hardy MP (Lab) asked an urgent question to the Secretary of State for Education on whether “he will make a statement on what steps he is taking to counter misinformation about the content of relationship education in schools”. The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP, asked a follow-up question:

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church of England, the largest provider of primary education, fully supports this updating of the guidance. As the Minister says, it has not been updated for the past 20 years, and childhood has changed greatly during that time. Does the Minister agree that one of the imperatives for this change must be to protect pupils and keep them safe in the complex online world that they inhabit? My heart goes out to the children caught up in all this.

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Bishop of St Albans asks Government about effectiveness of Bet Regret campaign

St Albans 2On 16th July 2019 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer from the Government, about the Bet Regret campaign:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL16962 To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 2 July (HL Deb, col 1346), on what evidence they based their claim that the Bet Regret campaign is showing promising results.

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Bishop of Coventry asks Government about repatriation of British children of Daesh supporters

Coventry171123 bOn 15th July 2019 the Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received a written answer from the Government, to a question about the repatriation of children of British citizens who left the country to join ISIL:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: HL16788 To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the recent statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 24 June, what plans they have to repatriate the children of British citizens now held in Iraq and Syria as a result of their parents’ involvement with Daesh. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about repatriation of British children of Daesh supporters”

Bishop of Coventry asks Government about response to report on transplant abuse

180416 CoventryOn 15th July 2019 the Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received a written answer from the Government in reply to a question about forced organ harvesting:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: HL16786 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Final Judgment of the Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting, published on 17 June; and what actions they plan to take in response to that Judgment. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about response to report on transplant abuse”

Bishop of Chelmsford asks Government about help for vulnerable people in debt due to benefit fraud

Chelmsford310119bOn 10th July 2019 the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions made a statement on universal credit fraud. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, asked a  question:

Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: I ask the Minister for a bit of clarification. I do not pretend to understand all the ins and outs of this, but I see a lot of suffering, which now seems to be added to by crime. On the one hand, it is good to hear that it is less than 1%, but that would be no consolation for me if I was one of those people who now has to pay back for the fraud perpetrated against me by someone else. I am sorry if I did not understand the answer. I suppose I am asking the Minister to explain what help those victims will get in the terrible situation they find themselves in.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks Government about education as means to tackle violence based on religion or belief

chelmsford170119bOn 10th July 2019 Baroness Berridge asked the Government  “what plans they have to recognise the newly designated United Nations Day for commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief on 22 August”. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, perhaps I may say that, on behalf of many of us, we welcome the Government’s support for this day, although we hugely grieve for the fact that such a day is necessary. One of the best ways that we will tackle continuing violence, based on religion or belief, in the long run will be through education. I wonder whether Her Majesty’s Government are planning or investing in the training of educators and religious leaders from countries where there are high levels of freedom of religion or belief violations, so that we can promote respect and peaceful coexistence. This would be a very profitable investment.

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Bishop of Leeds asks Government about Palestinian Statehood

18.12.05 Leeds Brexit deal debateOn 10th July 2019 the Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, received a written answer from the Government, in reply to a question about Palestinian statehood:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: HL16761 To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will now recognise Palestinian statehood, following the launch of the United States’ Prosperity to Peace initiative.

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Bishop of Chelmsford calls for legal definition of child criminal exploitation

chelmsford170119bOn 9th July 2019 Lord Kennedy of Southwark asked the Government “what is their response to the report by The Children’s Society, Counting Lives: responding to children who are criminally exploited, published on 5 July”. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, following up on that last question, the grooming patterns of children and young people, whether for sexual exploitation or criminal exploitation, are almost exactly the same. It took us ages to achieve a proper definition of exploitation of children in the sex industry. We should not make the same mistake again. It seems that what we need to do, and I ask the Government to consider this, is create a legally binding definition of child criminal exploitation that makes it absolutely clear that the vast majority of these children, some as young as 10 years old, are victims.

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Bishop of Coventry asks Government about plight of Uighur Muslims in China

Coventry171123 bOn 8th July 2019 the Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received a written answer from the Government, about the Uighur Muslims in China:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: HL16787 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of China on the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China; and what plans they have to ensure that the human rights of Uighur Muslims are protected. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about plight of Uighur Muslims in China”

Bishop of Leeds asks Government about progress in Israel-Palestine conflict resolution

18.12.05 Leeds Brexit deal debateOn 8th July 2019 the Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, received written answers from the Government in reply to three questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: (i) HL16758 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Peace to Prosperity workshop convened by the United States in Bahrain. Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks Government about progress in Israel-Palestine conflict resolution”