On 21st January 2026, the House of Lords voted on amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Newcastle took part in votes:
Votes: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Category: Questions
Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
Bishop of Manchester asks about age of criminal responsibility in Sweden
On 21st January 2026, the Bishop of Manchester asked a clarifying question on changes to the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden during a discussion on the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the Minister referred a few moments ago to Sweden lowering its age below 15. I have done a quick google check, and as far as I can understand, it has lowered it to 14, which is rather different from 10. Can she confirm that that is correct?
Baroness Levitt (Lab, MoJ): I thank the right reverend Prelate. I think it is from 15 to 13.
Bishop of Newcastle asks about transport infrastructure in the North-east
The Bishop of Newcastle asked a question on building infrastructure in the north-east of England on 19th January 2026, following a government statement on plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I have spoken in the Chamber before about the Leamside line, which is a modest 21 miles of railway in the north-east. Would the noble Lord agree that it illustrates the disconnect between statement and construction timeline? Would it be worth considering prioritising projects such as the Leamside line in order to power up the northern powerhouse, particularly in the north-east, which sometimes feels on the edge of plans?
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle asks about transport infrastructure in the North-east”Bishop of Manchester asks about strengthening diplomatic ties with Greenland
The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on strengthening diplomatic ties with Greenland on 19th January 2026, during a discussion on US trade tariffs and threats to Greenland’s sovereignty:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I agree with many noble Lords who have spoken about the importance of diplomacy in this, yet I feel that there is a danger that diplomacy takes place at a high level, over the heads of the Greenlanders themselves. It was only a few days ago in this Chamber that my right reverend friend the Lord Bishop of Chester, who unfortunately is not able to be with us just yet this afternoon, asked whether we could strengthen our diplomatic ties in Nuuk with the Greenlanders directly. That would give a lot of moral support and would mean that Britain’s Government would have a much better understanding of what the Greenlanders themselves are thinking, rather than what other people are telling them to think.
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about strengthening diplomatic ties with Greenland”Bishop of Newcastle asks about prevention of domestic violence against and between under-16s
The Bishop of Newcastle tabled a question on steps being taken to reduce domestic violence against children and prevent such behaviour being learned and repeated by those under 16 on 19th January 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce domestic violence against children, and prevent such behaviour being learned and repeated by those under 16.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle asks about prevention of domestic violence against and between under-16s”Bishop of Gloucester asks about prisons and prisoners
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 19th January 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many and what proportion of (1) men, and (2) women, arriving in custody have self-declared as part of the basic custody screening interview that they have been in the care of local authority children’s services, in each year since 2016.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about prisons and prisoners”Church Commissioners Written Questions: John Smyth, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
On 19th January 2026, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
John Smyth
Adam Jogee MP (Lab, Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church has had with the Government of Zimbabwe on John Smyth QC.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: John Smyth, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme”Bishop of Gloucester asks about potential increase in arrival of Iranian refugees in the UK
The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on government preparation for a potential increase in Iranian refugees arriving in the UK on 15th January 2026, following a government statement on the violence against protestors in Iran:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, as I said earlier this week, Iranian Christians across our churches are deeply distressed at not being able to have contact with their loved ones in Iran. I suspect that, in the coming months, we are going to see more Iranians arriving on our beaches. What are His Majesty’s Government doing to prepare for this and to be forward-thinking in the stance that will be adopted regarding welcome and hospitality?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about potential increase in arrival of Iranian refugees in the UK”Church Commissioners Questions: Persecuted Christians, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, Christians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, End-of-life Ministry, Safeguarding
On 15th January 2026, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:
Persecuted Christians Abroad
Matt Turmaine MP (Lab, Watford) asked: 1. What steps the Church of England is taking to help support persecuted Christians in other countries. (907298)
Andrew Rosindell MP (Con, Romford) asked: 3. What steps the Church of England is taking to help tackle the persecution of Christians in other countries.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Questions: Persecuted Christians, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, Christians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, End-of-life Ministry, Safeguarding”Bishop of Gloucester asks about role of Ofcom in regulating online deepfakes
The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the effectiveness of Ofcom during a discussion on the proliferation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women on X/Twitter on 14th January 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I welcome moves by the Government on this issue. I came off X last September and there is wider debate to be had about that site. Given that we know that the use of AI tools to harm women will only accelerate—recent research has found thousands of nudification apps available—I repeat my question from earlier this week: what more will the Government do to create a robust framework so that AI will be used responsibly in the whole landscape of misogyny and abuse?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about role of Ofcom in regulating online deepfakes”
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