Bishop of Southwark asks about events in Israel and Palestine

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 6th June 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made, if any, of the judgment by Israel’s High Court on 4 May concerning the eviction of Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta.
  • what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the eviction of the Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta.
  • what humanitarian support they are providing to Palestinian families evicted from their homes in Masafer Yatta.
  • what assessment they have made of the impact that the eviction of Palestinian families from Masafer Yatta will have on the prospects for negotiating a two-state solution in the Middlle East.
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Bishop of Exeter asks about education in the South West

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 6th June 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by the University of Exeter Social Mobility in the South West, published on 28 April, that “the South-West has the worst educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people in the country, and low social mobility compared with other areas”; and what steps they are taking to address these problems.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about vaccinations for refugees sent to Rwanda

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 6th June 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government whether asylum seekers removed to Rwanda as part of the UK–Rwanda Asylum Partnership Arrangement will receive vaccinations for (1) Hepatitis A, (2) Tetanus, and (3) Typhoid, prior to travelling to that country, in line with (a) advice, and (b) recommendations, from the (i) National Health Travel Network, and (ii) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about violence against journalists in Israel

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 6th June 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Reporters Without Borders that there have been more than 140 instances of violence by Israeli security forces against journalists in Friday protests since March 2018.

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Church Commissioners Written Answers: Church Finances

Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP on 30th May 2022:

Ben Bradshaw MP (Lab): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to Figure 10 of the report entitled Independent Review of Lowest Income Communities funding and Strategic Development Funding published by Sir Robert Chote and others in February 2022, how many of the national total of 25,923 new disciples the Church of England expects to be in Truro Diocese; and how many of the 5,019 new disciples have been recorded by the Strategic Development Unit.

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Church Commissioners Written Answers: Church Funding

Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP on 27th May 2022:

Ben Bradshaw MP (Lab): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Transforming Wigan project in the Diocese of Liverpool, what Church Commissioners’ funding has been awarded to that project since its inception in 2014.

Andrew Selous MP (Con): The Diocese of Liverpool was awarded £900,000 of Strategic Development Funding in 2014 for its Transforming Wigan project.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about food export plans

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th May 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the National Farmers Union Growing our agri-food exports to 2030 and beyond, published on 27 April, what plans they have to increase the number of agri-food experts in British embassies located in target markets for future free trade agreements.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about China and the Pacific Ocean Islands

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answers on 26th May 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security pact between the People’s Republic of China and the Solomon Islands.

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Bishop of Birmingham pays tribute to the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee

On 26th May 2022, the House of Lords paid tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. The Bishop of Birmingham, Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Birmingham: My Lords, I am delighted on behalf of the Lords spiritual to offer profound gratitude and hearty and—to echo the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge—joyful congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee.

I may not have been aware of the events of 6 February 1952, unlike some of your Lordships, although, being born just two months later, I can claim to have been eager to participate in the new Elizabethan age. From these Benches, we reflect particularly on the solemnity of the Coronation, which happened nearly a year later, and the setting of the constitutional roles of the sovereign in the wider realm of faith. That faith has been evident, as the noble Lord, Lord Newby, mentioned, in the Queen’s consistent, unstinting and prayerful support not only for the Church of England as Supreme Governor but for the Church of Scotland and people of Christian faith across the United Kingdom and the world.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about support for British territories in the South Pacific

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 26th May 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the UK’s naval capability in supporting British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories in the South Pacific.

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