The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government (1) how many, and (2) what proportion, of prisons in England and Wales currently provide secure video calls for prisoners.
Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): All prisons (100%) across England and Wales have the capability to offer secure video calls with approved family members and friends, responding to demand from prisoners.
The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Bishop of Worcester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking (1) to secure a ceasefire, and (2) to press for an investigation by the International Criminal Court of violations of international humanitarian law, in Gaza.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK wants to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out, and as a vital first step towards building a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. But to achieve that:
Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester asks about steps towards a ceasefire and investigation into the conflict in Gaza”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, and what representations they are making to the government of Azerbaijan in this regard.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure freeholders are held to account for essential services provided to leaseholders.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will ensure that leaseholders receive minimum key financial and non-financial information on a regular basis including through a standardised service charge demand form and an annual report. This will help them scrutinise and more effectively challenge their landlord if they consider their fees are unreasonable.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about accountability for freeholders”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo about strengthening and enforcing national laws regarding mining and evictions in line with international human rights standards.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about mining regulations in the Democratic Republic of Congo”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to those UK citizens names as co-conspirators in the trial of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about support for UK Citizens named in criminal proceedings in Hong Kong”The Bishop of Newcastle took part in a debate on the current conflict in Ukraine on 26th January 2024, asking about the government’s planning for future conflict scenarios:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, it is very good to be able to participate in this debate. I acknowledge the collective wisdom in this Chamber and the contributions of noble Lords in the preceding speeches. I pay particular tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Camoys, and congratulate him on his most excellent maiden speech, especially his reminder to look up and look out. I also thank the Minister for bringing this debate today.
This is not the time for platitudes and what could be construed as naive statements about hope. Evil and indeed illegal acts that lead to immense suffering demand decisive response. We know also that there is potential for and actual massive cultural damage in conflict, including the destruction of religious sites and a clamping down on the freedom of religion and belief. These and other matters in the Ukraine war require continued engagement and response. Ukraine depends entirely on money and weaponry from the West and our support in this is vital.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle speaks in debate on conflict in Ukraine”The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answer on 26th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how the war in Gaza might affect respect for international humanitarian law in other conflicts.
Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester asks about respect for international humanitarian law in wake of Israel-Gaza conflict”On 25th January 2024, the Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on sustainable farming, welcoming the sustainable farming incentive scheme and calling for a new regulatory framework around nature protection:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow a fellow tree planter, the noble Lord, Lord Robathan. I give a tree to every person I confirm as a sign of the care of God’s creation. I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Caithness, for securing this debate. I declare an interest as a member of Peers for the Planet and as a Church Commissioner.
Landowners and conservationists with whom I have spoken have broadly welcomed the changes to the sustainable farming incentive, not only the increased payment rates, which make uptake more attractive, but the new areas of action, the increased flexibility and the promise of a simpler, clearer and faster application service. Let us hope it does what is says on the new, streamlined tin. This better-rounded and more holistic agri-environmental scheme in England will undoubtedly see a greater uptake across all agricultural sectors. The tools are certainly in place to help deliver both sustainable food production and nature recovery.
In particular, I welcome the new emphasis on soil health. Being under our feet, we too often forget it, but soil is perhaps our greatest natural asset and the key to so much nature recovery. I am glad that the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, shares my enthusiasm for soil. Healthy soil supports a range of environmental, economic and societal benefits. These include food production, climate change mitigation and increased biodiversity. These vital soil functions are at risk from poor soil management or inappropriate land use, leading to soil degradation, soil compaction and soil erosion from wind and water. Ecological breakdown of our soils together with climate change are perhaps the primary threats to food security.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich welcomes sustainable farming incentives”
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