Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Manchester asks about access to healthcare in rural areas

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on access to GP services in rural areas during a discussion on a Commons Urgent Question on the GP Contract on 17th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the Statement made in the other place refers explicitly to coastal areas and deprived places, and I welcome that. Will the Minister say something about how we can ensure that there is good access to GP services in rural areas?

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about BBC World Service

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the role of the BBC World Service in faith education, during a discussion on the sustainability of the service on 17th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, the World Service has been particularly effective at communicating issues of faith and freedom of religion, and, notably, at addressing misinformation during times of global conflict. In the light of the increasing importance of this, what steps are the Government taking to ensure that it is well placed to play an increasing educative role in the understanding of faith?

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Bishop of Manchester asks about tackling antisemitism on university campuses

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the roles of external actors in fuelling antisemitism on university campuses, and the role of university chaplaincy teams in addressing this, on 16th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, this has been a significant issue in Manchester for all my time as Bishop and I am glad we are having this chance to consider it. What assessment is being made of the extent to which external actors—we have heard about university lecturers, but maybe even foreign Governments—are fuelling this? To what extent can the multifaith chaplaincy teams that many of our universities have be part of the means of addressing it?

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about changes to wedding celebrant law

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the issues associated with commercial wedding celebrants during a discussion on the legalisation of humanist weddings on 16th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, I welcome the Government’s intention to make it easier for couples to marry in legally binding ceremonies that reflect their religious, or non-religious, beliefs. However, I am concerned by the potential direction of travel of some aspects of these reforms, particularly the possible authorisation of this new category of commercial celebrants, which the Minister has referred to. I understand that, as has already been acknowledged, Humanists UK shares this concern. Can the Minister set out how the Government will ensure that safeguards are in place to protect against the commercialisation of weddings?

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about government housing targets

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 16th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of labour shortages, planning and regulatory rules, and any viability challenges, on the delivery of their target to build 1.5 million homes.

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Archbishop of York asks about implementation of new definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility

The Archbishop of York asked a question on the implementation of the new non-statutory definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it has been a great honour in the last few weeks to have been the guest at several iftar meals with the Muslim community in Yorkshire, where I am based. I know the noble Baroness mentioned the debate on Monday, but knowing how real Muslim hate crime is and hearing stories from Muslim neighbours just in the last few days, it would be good to hear more about how this is going to be implemented, because this is a definition not to sit on a shelf but to be used to help us become a more tolerant society.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about methods of flood prevention

The Bishop of Norwich tabled a question on the benefits of peatland restoration for flood resilience and stability on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of peatland restoration for flood resilience and nature recovery.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about regional disparities in the imprisonment of women

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, in regard to the women’s local data resources published by the Prison Reform Trust, what steps they are taking to address the regional disparities in the use of imprisonment for women.

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Bishop of Norwich responds to government statement on conflict in the Middle East

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in response to a government statement on the UK’s defence activities during the current conflict in the Middle East on 11th March 2026, raising the issue of conflicts elsewhere and the need to maintain focus on these alongside current events:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, as other Members of the House have done, I pay tribute to His Majesty’s Armed Forces. As the father of a soldier, I am acutely aware of what the families at Akrotiri in Cyprus are going through at the moment. I am sure they are being well supported by chaplains in the Armed Forces, just as many of the communities in the Gulf will be being supported by Anglican and other denomination chaplains serving in the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. I am grateful to the Minister for the briefing that was given yesterday at the Ministry of Defence. I found it immensely helpful and it gave me assurance about the preparedness that had gone on over the last few weeks.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about impact of tax policy on rural communities

The Bishop of Norwich asked a question on the impact of changes to inheritance tax and future policy changes on rural communities during a discussion on the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive on 11th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: I keep hearing from farmers, particularly from small farms, about the impact of the fiasco of the changes in inheritance tax. Would the Minister give some reassurance that future policy changes will truly be rural-proofed? I declare an interest as this year’s president of the Royal Norfolk Show.

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