Bishop of Leeds asks about Chinese espionage in the UK

On 13th October 2025, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the history of espionage conducted by China in the UK:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, can the Minister confirm that spying by the Chinese is not a new phenomenon but has been conducted under previous Governments as well?

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about evidence given to Home Affairs Select Committee on immigration and the church

The Bishop of Sheffield raised a question regarding evidence presented by the Bishop of Chelmsford at the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2024, during a discussion on religious conversion as a basis for asylum claims on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I declare an interest as patron of the ASSIST charity in Sheffield, which seeks to support refugees and asylum seekers. Is the Minister aware that the evidence provided by the former Anglican cleric just referenced was refuted by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chelmsford in extensive oral evidence on the subject at a Home Affairs Select Committee meeting in the other place last year?

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about online immigration systems

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 12 February (HL4531), whether the management information related to the “no recourse to public funds” condition is not available on the Atlas system for each leave to remain record.

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about regional transport and healthcare infrastructure

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the safety, security, and resilience of national and regional transport infrastructure, with particular reference to South Yorkshire.

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about further education partnerships and ECHR education in schools

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked  His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the origins and contents of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights are taught in primary and secondary schools in England.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about secondary education

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the increasing A Level attainment gap between the North East and London and what steps they are taking to reduce this gap.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about response to report on children in care

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what action they will take in response to the report by the National Audit Office Managing children’s residential care, published on 12 September.

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Bishop of Lincoln asks about family hubs

The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to expand the Best Start family hub programmes to offer healthcare and education support services at the weekend.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Churches – Listed Buildings

On 23rd September 2025, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Churches: Listed Buildings

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches are listed places of worship.

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Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Archbishop of York speaks at second reading, highlighting risks of legislation

The Archbishop of York spoke at the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 19th September 2025, pointing out the need for better palliative care in the UK and the risks of implementing this legislation:

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins. I will of course speak for myself, but I also know that I represent views held by many faith leaders—not just Christian leaders—across our nation, with whom I have been in discussion and who have written to me.

Jesus teaches us that how we live our lives in relationship to others is vital for the health of our society and our own personal well-being. We belong with and for each other. The Bill is wrong because it ruptures relationships, serving one need but creating many others.

The noble Lord, Lord Baker, and several others in this important and moving debate gave the game away early on: no Government, he said, will be prepared to provide palliative and social care in the way it is needed, thus revealing that the Bill’s impact will be economic as well as social. Several speakers said there were too many safeguards; others, that provision for assisted dying ought to be expanded.

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