The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 20th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of the spread of the H5N1 virus, following the death of a girl in Cambodia.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about dangers of avian influenza”The Bishop of St Albans asked about the government response to human rights issues in Saudi Arabia on 16th March 2023, following a Commons Urgent Question on the execution of Hussein Abo al-Kheir and other recent executions in the country:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the whole House acknowledges the contribution the Minister makes in this important area, but there are real concerns as to whether His Majesty’s Government are as intent on addressing these issues. Saudi is part of the Arab Charter on Human Rights 2004, but the problem is enforcement. Even the statute brought in 2014 does not enable enforcement. What representations are His Majesty’s Government making to the wider Arab world to work with colleagues to nudge Saudi in a new direction and stop this extraordinary range of executions, which do not seem to be abating at all?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about recent executions in Saudi Arabia”The Bishop of Exeter asked a question on the issue of privately rented accommodation in the south-west being bought up as Airbnbs, during a debate on conditions in the rented housing sector on 16th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter: My Lords, there is an important rural dimension to this issue. In north Devon, the vast majority of privately rented property has been turned into Airbnb, creating a crisis in rural housing. Does the Minister think that the ability of local authorities to levy council tax is sufficiently robust to tackle this problem? If not, what plans do His Majesty’s Government have to legislate to address this problem, which is escalating every day?
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about private rented housing in rural areas”
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 16th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the statement by Israel’s Minister of Finance, Mr Bezalel Smotrich, on 1 March, that the Palestinian village of Hawara “should be wiped out”.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about recent statements regarding the Palestinian village of Hawara by Israeli finance minister”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 16th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by (1) Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 11 January (HL4504), and (2) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at DCMS on 14 December 2021 (88799), why they provided statistics on the amount of customer suicides that have been reported by gambling operators in the past three years in 2021 but not in 2023; and whether they will now provide updated statistics.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con): In the past three years, the Gambling Commission has published details of two enforcement cases which have had links to deaths by suicide.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about suicides linked to gambling”The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on political pressure and the commodification of the BBC during a debate on the government’s role in the network’s impartiality on 15th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, political pressure on the BBC is not new. Mr Wilson, Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair all had their problems with the BBC. As in this place, those in power there face scrutiny, but does the Minister accept two things that are now in play when it comes to impartiality: first, the long-term commodification of the BBC, which has eroded its funding and its service commitment to the nations and regions at home, to religion, to culture, to education and to our mutual flourishing through both the expression of heightened values and entertainment; and, secondly, the fact that impartiality is about fairness? Who determines what is impartial? It should not be the Government.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about political pressure on the BBC”The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 15th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to support (1) an international pledging conference to encourage humanitarian assistance to the East Africa region, and (2) negotiations for the renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): The UK is working closely with our partners to raise the profile of the crisis in East Africa to help secure a broad base of donor funding. We are considering all options on how best to do this, building on our existing life-saving aid, international partnerships and work to ensure a robust response from humanitarian and development actors.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about humanitarian aid to East Africa”On 14th March 2023, the House of Lords debated Commons amendments to the Public Order Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which bishops took part.
The Bishop of Worcester asked a question about government commitment to arts education during a debate on data, digital, and financial literacy in schools on 14th March 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, recently I had the privilege of serving on your Lordships’ Communications Committee. What came through consistently in our inquiry into the effects of technology on the creative industries was the need for creative and artistic literacy as well as digital literacy—we need STEAM, not just STEM. I speak as a former scientist deeply committed to science and technology. Does the Minister agree and, if so, what can the Government do to enable that, given their reluctance to review the national curriculum and prioritise arts more?
Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester asks about arts education”On 14th March 2023, the Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, was introduced to the House of Lords and took his seat on the Bishops Benches as a Lord Spiritual.
Hansard records that:
Peter Jonathan, Lord Bishop of Sheffield, was introduced and took the oath, supported by the Bishop of Worcester and the Bishop of Guildford, and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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