Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham takes part in VE and VJ day debate

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham spoke in a debate marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan on 9th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, it is a privilege to speak in this debate. I congratulate my right reverend friend the Bishop of Peterborough on her excellent maiden speech, and I look forward to her insightful and wide-ranging contribution to the work of this House in the coming days, particularly drawing on her experience in education and with young people. I also thank the Minister for his very moving and impassioned speech opening this debate.

We commemorate a time of extraordinary sacrifice and service in the story of our nation, as well as our allied partners, notably in the Commonwealth. Victory, we know, was hard won. I pay particular tribute to the vital work of the Armed Forces chaplains, who served with great distinction throughout the war. We can be thankful that they remain an essential and fully integrated part of our military capability, not only because of their vital role in times of conflict but for the well-being of all service personnel during training, on exercise and on deployment in strategic peacetime operations.

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Bishop of Peterborough makes maiden speech in VE day debate

On 9th May 2025, the Bishop of Peterborough made her maiden speech in the House of Lords during a debate marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan:

The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, it is a privilege to be making my maiden speech today. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, for opening this debate and for the encouragement for us to mark and reflect such an important anniversary. It is an honour to follow such moving speeches.

Before saying any more, I take the opportunity to thank the many Members and staff of your Lordships’ House who have made me feel so welcome. I have been struck by the care that has been shown to help me to find my feet, and I am most grateful for the time taken to do so. I have been Bishop of Peterborough for just over a year, following four years as Bishop of Southampton, and I hope to bring experience from both dioceses as I take my place among your Lordships.

As we have heard, the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe and victory over Japan has been marked in our communities in a number of different ways. Across Peterborough diocese, there have been street parties in Northamptonshire; bunting in the beautiful villages of Rutland; and bells of churches ringing out, including from Peterborough Cathedral, which has always been a place of gathering at times of national significance and last night played its part again, drawing people together and helping them to remember.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Attendance

On 9th May 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Neil O’Brien MP (Con, Harborough, Oadby, and Wigston): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what the weekly attendance was for (a) children, (b) adults and (c) all ages for (i) weekly, (ii) Sunday and (iii) school services in each year since 2003.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling in the armed forces

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 9th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have a tri-service policy that sets out the process to be followed in the event that a serving soldier develops a gambling addiction.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about access to mental health services for minority-ethnic communities

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on steps to address inequality in communities on 8th May 2025, particularly for those whose first language is not English, during a discussion on mental health care:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, in my own city of Leicester, some excellent work is being done with minority-ethnic communities in particular to help with access to mental health services. Nevertheless, significant inequalities remain. What more is being done to address those inequalities, particularly as they relate to people whose first language is not English?

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Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester calls for long term view on crime and sentencing

On 7th May 2025, the Bishop of Gloucester spoke at the second reading of the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill, advocating for a long term approach to sentencing that takes into account families and communities:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I declare my interest as Anglican Bishop for prisons. I am grateful to be speaking in this Second Reading debate. I too greatly look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Nichols. Having said that, I do not believe this is a debate we should be having at all. I do not believe this rather theatrical legislation is necessary.

In a world of sufficient resources, as has already been said, there would be comprehensive pre-sentence reports for everyone, to which careful attention would be paid in court. If we have to prioritise PSRs, then it makes sense to prioritise those we know are especially vulnerable, or where there is evidence of disproportionate outcomes from the justice system. Will the Minister comment on why he thinks there was such shock at this apparent two-tier justice with regard to ethnicity but not the other cohorts in the guidance, such as young adults and pregnant women? Do the Government believe the issues raised in the landmark report by the current Foreign Secretary almost eight years ago are now a thing of the past? Is there no role for judges in mitigating the issues raised in that report?

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about special educational needs and disabilities and school absenteeism

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the impact of increased numbers of pupils with special educational needs on school absenteeism on 7th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, as a foster carer for Nottingham city, I am aware that children with higher levels of often complex needs hugely benefit from additional support in smaller integrated learning environments in order to stay motivated and engaged. I press the Minister again very particularly: what assessment have the Government therefore made of how the increase in the number of children with significant special educational needs—who now very often remain in large classes, with the disruption that creates for many pupils—is impacting on pupil absenteeism?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Slavery

On 7th May 2025, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha de Cordova MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Katie Lam MP (Con, Weald of Kent): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to p.10 of the report entitled Church Commissioners’ Research into Historic Links to Transatlantic Chattel Slavery, published on 1 January 2023, for what reason that report was not peer reviewed to an academic standard.

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Bishop of Bristol asks about human trafficking of women and girls

The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answers on 7th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked His Majesty’s Government whether their forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will consider victims of sexual exploitation in the light of recent data from the International Organization for Migration showing that fewer women and girls are being supported through the National Referral Mechanism.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling in the armed forces

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much money was made from fixed-odds betting terminals located on Ministry of Defence property in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, (3) 2023, and (4) 2024; and who was the beneficiary of any such money.

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