Bishop of St Albans asks about development and social cohesion in Ukraine

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the government’s efforts towards supporting development in Ukraine, during a debate on growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine on 26th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, it is right that we attend to the situation in Russia, but Ukraine is a deeply divided country. The situation is not helped by, for example, Ukraine’s decision three years ago to make Ukrainian the national language, precluding the involvement of some 50% of Russians in the south and east of the country, who speak only Russian. What are Her Majesty’s Government doing to bring economic development and social cohesion to try to strengthen and bolster the life of Ukraine, as it faces this threat?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about treatment of Christians in India

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 26th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India over its refusal to allow Oxfam and the Missionaries of Charity operating in that country to receive money from abroad.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): We are aware that some Non Government Organisations (NGOs) have faced difficulties in India due to the application of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the Indian authorities, and that some have recently had applications to renew their foreign funding licenses rejected. We continue to support a wide range of local NGO partners in India, including through programmes, and officials have discussed issues facing NGOs directly with the Indian Government.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about pay rates for keyworkers

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 25th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the claim by the Trades Union Congress that thousands of key workers are earning less in real terms than they were a decade earlier.

Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con, Treasury): To examine the real terms earnings of key workers, we focus on public sector workers – which represent the majority of key workers.

Public sector pay in real terms (total pay, deflated by CPI) has grown at an annualised rate of 0.2% over the last decade (since the three months to November 2011). The level of public sector average weekly earnings (in real terms) is now in line with that of the private sector in the three months to November 2021.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about issues faced by Christians in Jerusalem

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to concerns expressed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem that “radical fringe groups” are trying to drive Christians out of Jerusalem, what assessment they have made of the future status of Christians in Jerusalem.

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Bishop of St Albans takes part in debate on deaths caused by social media

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the role of social media in children’s deaths on 20th January 2023, drawing attention to the broadness of social factors contributing to children’s deaths:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for securing this most important debate on the contributory role of social media to the deaths of children, and I pay tribute to her persistent campaigning on this subject. It is a timely debate given that only a month ago we received the legislative scrutiny committee’s report on the draft online harms Bill.

I want to focus on the whole question of the extent to which we understand the numbers and the causes of child deaths, not only where social media plays a significant role but in a whole range of other issues. This is a much broader problem than just this topic, although it is a superb example of why we need better research and better recording of data.

In December, your Lordships’ House debated the Second Reading of my Coroners (Determination of Suicide) Bill. It would require coroners to record any relevant contributory factors once a death by suicide has been officially determined. It would not be a finding in law, the results would be anonymised and published anonymously, and it would be akin to the well-established processes that hospitals have for recording comorbidities of death.

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Bishop of London asks for hold on dismissal of unvaccinated NHS staff

The Bishop of London asked that the government consider placing a hold on legislation to dismiss any NHS staff that remained unvaccinated after April 2022, during a debate on the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on 20th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her update. I believe that NHS staff who have not received two doses of the vaccine face dismissal from 1 April onwards. It is estimated that this will result in London losing something like 12.5% of its midwives, putting at risk the lives of pregnant women and their babies. Such a loss of staff may be thought to be justified were it not for the case that two doses of the vaccine are not understood to protect against the omicron variant of Covid-19. We shall lose precious midwives to implement a policy that has been superseded by the evolution of the virus. Will Her Majesty’s Government put the implementation of existing legislation on hold, given that it may now lead only to harm and not the good that it was designed to promote?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about statements made by Russian foreign minister regarding security in Europe

On 20th January 2022, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question regarding Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement regarding the Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE):

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, what assessment have Her Majesty’s Government made of the statement by Sergey Lavrov two days ago that the OSCE used to convene parties on an equal basis but it is now simply a defender of western interests? What impact does that have on our conversations with the Russians?

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con): I am sorry but I shall have to write to the right reverend Prelate on that. I have not seen Sergey Lavrov’s statement.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham speaks on impact of sanctions on Burundi

The Bishop of Durham spoke in a debate on the imposition of sanctions on Burundi on 19th January 2022, asking that the government consider the impact of sanctions on the poor and keep existing regulations under review:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I rise to make some comments—I should probably explain why a bishop is doing so. I have been a regular visitor to Burundi since 2000. I have made a number of visits, which have largely been to church leaders, but one occasion included meeting President Nkurunziza when he was in power. I have therefore experienced the deep poverty of Burundi first hand—and it is very deep. It is one of the five poorest nations on earth. My visits are not confined to staying in the capital city—it was Bujumbura but is now Gitega—but include going out meeting ordinary people in villages around the nation.

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Bishop of Leeds asks question on funding for Welsh authorities

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the funding given to Welsh authorities to deal with the remediation and repair of coal tips in the country on 19th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, the Minister has referred a couple of times to the funding to the Welsh authorities as “adequate”. Can he enlighten us as to how adequacy is defined?

Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con): I will define what I see as being adequate. The Welsh Government have more than enough to deal with the very important subject of coal-tip safety.

Hansard

Bishop of Gloucester asks about conditions in UK prisons

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 19th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government how many women in prison aged (1) 18–24, or (2) 25 years or older, have been (a) in receipt of mental health care, or (b) referred to mental health support, whilst in custody.

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