The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 31st Janaury 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 December 2023 (HL597), how often is the doctor at the onsite primary healthcare available to hold in-person consultations for residents.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about medical care for migrant detainees at MOD Wethersfield”
The Bishop of London asked a question on community support strategies for those speaking English as an additional language and those with disabilities on 30th January 2024, during a discussion on the impact of the local authority Household Support Fund:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, groups such as those with English as an additional language and disabled people face higher barriers to accessing local crisis support. Will the Government in their evaluation consider the strategies that are in place, or could be put in place, to ensure that those who face barriers can access local crisis support?
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The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure customers are adequately supported given recent changes to HMRC’s phone support for taxpayers.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): This is a busy time for customers who want to get their taxes sorted. Directing those with simple queries to online services, where they can be resolved more quickly, will ensure telephone advisers are available to help customers with complex queries or those who cannot get online.
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The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many, and what proportion of, people reoffended within one year of release from prison by accommodation status at (1) release, and (2) three months post-release, in each of the last three years.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about rate of reoffending among those released from prison”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the launch of the new Congolese rebel group known as Alliance Fleuve Congo and the consequences for relations between the East African Community and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rebel groups in Democratic Republic of Congo”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many days is a GP on site on the Bibby Stockholm each week; and whether they have plans to review this level of provision.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): The medical facility on the barge is staffed 5 days a week to provide an onsite primary healthcare service with which the asylum seekers will register; this means individuals will not need to register with a local GP practice. The medical team has previous experience of working with asylum seekers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about presence of GPs on the Bibby Stockholm barge”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many applications were received for a Mother and Baby Unit place in prison in the past five years; and of those, how many were (1) accepted, or (2) refused, broken down by reason for refusal.
Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): Total figures for applications received, approved and refused are provided in the table below.
As decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and the reasons can be complex, reasons for refusal are not currently collated, and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about applications for mother-and-baby units in prisons”On 29th January 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill in its second reading. A vote was held on a motion relating to the bill, in which a bishop took part.
The Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich spoke in the debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill on 29th January 2024, arguing that the bill represented a loss of moral compass for the UK, and that the approach to the legislation by the government was constitutionally inappropriate:
The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich: My Lords, as the 41st speaker, I will inevitably repeat or underline others’ points, but I will briefly make a couple of observations. I am struck that some noble Lords supporting the Bill nevertheless do so with a hint of equivocation, saying that it is not perfect or the final destination. In addition, I have not heard evidence that the proposal will work. The Minister commented in opening that progress had been made and the numbers of those coming across in boats had decreased. Why do we not put more effort into the courses that have enabled that reduction?
I do not think there is a single noble Lord who is not determined that the dangerous boat crossings of those seeking asylum in this country be stopped. Our valuing of and care for human life and the plight of those fleeing danger place a moral duty on us to work out a way to stop these perilous crossings and find a just and safe way for people to find refuge. We know from the Government’s figures that the great majority of those who have sought asylum in this country through this life-endangering method have had their applications upheld. We are not talking about people risking their lives without legitimate cause. We need to find, as a number of noble Lords have said, safe ways to achieve this goal with our European neighbours. This is a good moral purpose to which I believe we would all assent.
Continue reading “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich questions constitutional basis and moral implications of bill”On 29th January 2024, the Bishop of London spoke in a debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill, pointing out the inconsistency of the bill’s approach to international law, and the potential harm of disapplying parts of the human rights act to refugees and asylum seekers:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I share many concerns about the Bill that have been expressed by many other noble Lords, but I will focus on human rights. What underpins my contribution to the House is a fundamental belief that all people are made in the image of God. It is a belief that is the foundation not just of the Christian faith but of many other faiths and religions. People have an inherent immeasurable value and deserve dignity and respect. In the Bill, unfortunately, the value of people is consistently maligned. For example, the Bill decides who is and is not entitled to human rights. Has history not taught us the risk of that?
It is an odd situation that we find ourselves in when it feels necessary to state in your Lordships’ House that the Government should obey the law, yet the Minister has stated on the face of the Bill that he is unable to say that the measures within it are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. Clause 3 disapplies sections of our Human Rights Act and Clause 1(6) lists great swathes of international law that will be contravened to pass the Bill. As many noble Lords have said, it is illogical that the Government are disregarding international law while relying on Rwanda’s compliance with it to assure us it is safe. That is not a mark of global leadership.
Continue reading “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum & Immigration) Bill: Bishop of London points out inconsistency with international law and human rights regulations”
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