Bishop of Durham asks about efforts to encourage volunteering opportunities

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 26th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what encouragement they are providing to businesses to promote and encourage volunteering amongst employees.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con): His Majesty’s Government recognises how vital volunteering is for society, reaping benefits for those who volunteer as well as the organisations they assist. The Government aims to remove barriers which prevent people from getting involved.

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Bishop of Durham asks about detention and regulations affecting asylum seekers

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 26th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied children have been held at (1) HMP Elmley, Kent, and (2) other adult prisons over the last year, including those determined to be children after local authority age assessments.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about European Court of Human Rights

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the need for global and regional cooperation in facing challenges during a debate on the relationship between the UK and the European Court of Human Rights on 25th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, does the Minister agree with me that global and regional challenges need global and regional solutions, and that individual countries seeking to disapply do not help the situation?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about access to medication to treat neurological conditions

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Servier to expand access to vorasidenib for patients that might benefit by including it in the early access to medicines scheme, or by any other means.

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Bishop of Durham asks about children’s wellbeing

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 25th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Children’s Society’s The Good Childhood Report 2023, published on 20 September, and what plans they have to implement its recommendations to promote the wellbeing of children.

Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): The Government is grateful for the Good Childhood Report and has noted its findings. The Children’s Commissioner’s Family Review covers similar issues and the Government’s response to this will be published imminently.

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Bishop of Durham asks about housing for refugees

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 25th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, following the High Court ruling that the use of hotels to house unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is unlawful, what steps they will take to end the use of hotels for this purpose.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): Hotel accommodation is a temporary means to accommodate the increased number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) arriving in the UK and is only ever a contingency option, not a long-term solution. The high number of UASC arrivals, particularly because of small boat crossings, has placed unprecedented pressure on the National Transfer Scheme (NTS). Out of necessity, the Home Office have accommodated UASC on an emergency and temporary basis in hotels while placements with local authorities have been vigorously pursued.

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Archbishop of York speech in Lords debate on Israel/Gaza

On 24th October 2023 the Archbishop of York spoke in a House of Lords debate on the situation in Israel/Gaza.

The Archbishop of York: My Lords, I too begin by expressing great thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, for the grace, wisdom and fortitude with which he has led us in this debate. I welcome the consensus that I have heard across the Chamber from all sides. Like others, I have learned so much this evening. I also want to echo what the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury said earlier: I too deeply mourn and cry out for all those who have been brutally murdered in this conflict and rightly note the duty of Israel to guard and defend her citizens, yet at the same time I cry out on behalf of the innocent in every community and appeal for a peace with justice.

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Archbishop of Canterbury speech on Israel/Gaza

On 24th October 2023 the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke in a debate in the House of Lords ‘that this House takes note of the situation in Israel/Gaza.’

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: I thank the Noble Lord, the Minister, for his eloquent and powerful opening speech. In it he set out the complexity of the situation that is being faced. And one of the great dangers of such complexities is we seek to find simple answers, and there are none.

In a recent trip, I got back on Sunday, in Jerusalem, meeting large numbers from both sides, it was perfectly obvious that there were a number of factors that we need to bear in mind.

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Bishop of York asks about tackling online disinformation

During a debate on misinformation relating to the conflict in Israel and Gaza on 24th October 2023, the Archbishop of York asked a question on the proliferation of disinformation on X, (formerly Twitter):

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it is good to hear that the Government are engaging with the social media platforms on this incredibly serious issue. Twitter has most aptly been renamed X, but without irony: one goes into this area with great caution, as it is distressing and nasty. I am told that X is currently laying off people whose job it is to monitor and remove posts that contain disinformation. Given this, and given that we have made progress in looking at social media platforms, what are we doing to require them to do this other than simply engaging with them?

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Bishop of Derby asks about mental health services for young people

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 24th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government, following the Children’s Society’s The Good Childhood Report 2023, published on 20 September, what steps the Department of Health and Social Care’s Major Conditions Strategy will take to prevent poor mental health and promote wellbeing in children and young people.

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