Bishop of Lincoln asks about children’s rights in the education sector

The Bishop of Lincoln asked a question on children’s rights in education on 27th January 2025, during a discussion on government plans to improve children’s wellbeing and opportunities:

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the fundamental right of all children to a free primary education and access to different forms of secondary education. Noble Lords may know that 1 million children are educated in Church of England schools at the moment, and the Church of England’s vision for education is rooted in a Christian ethos for the common good and the holistic well-being of every child, including those of all faiths and none. The Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools framework, which informs best practice in church schools, has a strong and effective focus on children’s rights in accordance with Article 28 in the UN convention. Will the Minister ensure that the substantial and compelling learnings from church schools can be highlighted and shared within her department’s ongoing review of potential reforms to current accountability measures?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Cathedral Choirs

On 27th January 2025, Marsha De Cordova, the 2nd Church Estates Commissioner, gave the following written answer to a questions from an MP:

Cathedrals: Choirs

Mark Pritchard MP (Con, The Wrekin): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to support the work, cultural and spiritual contribution of cathedral choirs.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about efforts to address loneliness and social isolation

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 27th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Centre for Social Justice report Lonely Nation – Part 4: Loneliness and food banks, published in December 2024, which found that over twice as many people who use food banks feel lonely most of the time compared to all adults, what steps they are taking to address loneliness and social isolation as a root cause of food bank usage.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about pro-democracy protestors from Hong Kong

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 27th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to meet the four UK-based pro-democracy campaigners who had bounties placed on them by the Hong Kong Police on 24 December 2024.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about child maintenance and domestic violence

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 27th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish the review of calculations of child maintenance.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Music, Conservation, Food Banks

On 23rd January 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Churches: Music

Stuart Anderson MP (Con, South Shropshire): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support churches in rural areas engage local communities in music.

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about legal aid for asylum seekers

The Bishop of Sheffield tabled a question on the topic of access to legal aid for asylum seekers on 23rd January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the availability and accessibility of legal aid for asylum seekers.

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and declare my interest as a patron of the ASSIST charity in Sheffield.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about status of political prisoner in Iran

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations, if any, they intend to make to the government of Iran concerning the execution sentence of Pakhshan Azizi.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of loneliness on health conditions, and benefits of strengthening advertising regulation

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 23rd January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of research by Cambridge University and Fudan University showing a link between social isolation and the increased risk of heart disease, stroke and infections; and what steps they intend to take to address loneliness in the UK.

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Bishop of Manchester responds to statement on Ukraine

The Bishop of Manchester responded to a government statement on Ukraine on 22nd January 2025, stressing the need for building community and civil society connections:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I hope the thin attendance tonight does not mean that we in the United Kingdom are losing interest in Ukraine, especially when I think of the huge number that gathered in Westminster Hall when President Zelensky came and spoke to us, and when many of us went across and sat in the Gallery in the other place when he spoke on a Zoom-type link in the early days of the conflict.

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