Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
On the 18th July 2017, the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, received a written answer to a question about the agenda of the 2018 Commonwealth Summit
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to include freedom of religion or belief on the agenda of the 2018 Commonwealth Summit. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government if freedom of religion or belief will be on 2018 Commonwealth Summit agenda”
On the 18th July 2017, the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, received a written answer to a question about freedom of religion in Tajikistan.
Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, what assessment they have made of the government of Tajikistan’s commitment to freedom of religion or belief following the decision by the State Committee for Religious Affairs to ban anyone under the age of 40 from participating in the August Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. [HL430]
On 17th July 2017, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon asked “Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to bring forward proposals to reform Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services as outlined in their 2017 manifesto.” The Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt Rev Christine Hardman followed up with a question on mental health in schools.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle raises concerns around mental health in schools”
On the 17th and 18th July 2017, the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, received written answers to questions about Iraqi refugees fleeing Daesh and who are eligible for ressetlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, what estimate they have made of the number of Iraqis that have fled Daesh in Iraq who are now refugees in countries bordering Syria. [HL704]
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks Government about Iraqi refugees fleeing Daesh”
On 14th July 2017 the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, received a written answer from Government about refugee resettlement numbers:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Iraqi refugees they have resettled since 2014 under (1) the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS), and (2) other global resettlement schemes such as Gateway and Mandate. Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks Government about Iraqi refugee numbers in UK”
On 13th July 2017, Lord Bird asked the Government “what steps they are taking to prioritise their focus on the root causes of poverty and disadvantage.” The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev. Nick Baines, asked a question in follow up.
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, does the Minister agree that there is a problem here, in that we want to applaud the employment figures released today but, at the same time, we need to recognise that it is people in employment who are using our food banks, where the numbers have rocketed in the last few years? Therefore, the simple statement that we applaud the rise in employment disguises a deeper problem.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds highlights rocketing number of food bank users in employment”
On 13th July 2017, the Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received a written answer to a question about the Central African Republic:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the peace accord between the government of the Central African Republic and 13 armed groups, signed in Rome on 19 June. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about peace efforts in Central African Republic”
On 12th July 2017 the Secretary of State for International Development, Rt Hon Priri Patel MP, made a statement to the House of Commons about the humanitarian situation in Mosul, Iraq. The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP, asked a follow up question:
Dame Caroline Spelman (Meriden) (Con): Mosul was home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the region, but religious minorities suffered dreadfully at the hands of ISIS. What can DFID do to ensure that such minorities are able to return to their place of origin? Continue reading “Caroline Spelman raises plight of displaced Christians and religious minorities in Mosul, Iraq”
On 12th July 2017 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian detained in Pakistan on charges of blasphemy:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the adjournment of Asia Bibi’s appeal, what representations, if any, they have made on her behalf to the government of Pakistan regarding reports that (1) there is a lack of information about when her appeal will be heard, and (2) that she is still being kept in solitary confinement. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government to raise the case of Asia Bibi with Pakistan”
On 11th July 2017, Rt Rev. Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, asked Her Majesty’s Government “what proportion of the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund is expected to be available to support the provision of superfast broadband in hard to reach rural areas.” The full exchange is below, along with the follow-up questions asked by other Members:
The Lord Bishop of St Albanso ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund is expected to be available to support the provision of superfast broadband in hard to reach rural areas.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Lord Ashton of Hyde) (Con): My Lords, the digital infrastructure investment fund aims to support industry investment in full fibre networks, which are the next generation of digital infrastructure. The Government are committing £400 million, which will be at least matched by private sector investments on the same terms. It will be up to the selected managers of the fund themselves to make investments.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about broadband in rural areas”
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