The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 24th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the introduction of a universal priority services register for utility services.
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On 21st March 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Kevin Hollinrake (Con, Thirsk and Malton): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential impact of the Law Commission’s consultation on burial and cremation, published on 3 October 2024, on the finances of local authorities taking over the maintenance of closed churchyards.
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The Bishop of London spoke in a debate on Crown Court Criminal Case Backlog on 20th March 2025, raising the need to support victims of crime:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is humbling to speak in this debate in the company of those better qualified than me to make comment, but I rise to speak particularly about the impact on victims. From London, I also welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Longfield, to her place.
It continues to be a great shame that criminal justice is one of those Cinderella public services. We often talk or feel that spending money on things such as schools and healthcare is good, and of course it is. However, talking about spending money on prisons, probation and the courts is much less frequently affirmed, despite the fact that not spending in the courts has a terrible implication for victims. I wonder whether improving public understanding of the importance of a well-functioning court system for victims and defendants may be key to winning wider support and gaining resources that are so desperately needed. What consideration have the Government given to improving public understanding in this way?
Continue reading “Bishop of London emphasises need for support for victims of crime in debate on Crown Court backlog”The Bishop of London tabled a question for short debate on support for those bereaved in the COVID-19 Pandemic on 20th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty’s Government, following the COVID-19 Day of Reflection, what steps they are taking to improve support offered to people bereaved as a result of COVID-19.
My Lords, I declare my interest as the former chair of the UK Commission on Bereavement and other interests as set out in the register. Though we are small in number, I am grateful for the opportunity to hold this debate. I am aware that reflection on the impact of Covid-19 is no longer a particularly attractive subject, but I feel strongly that the impact of this world-changing event will continue to be felt in the years to come.
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The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate marking the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights on 20th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too add my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this debate and for his speech. I am not going to explore the legal implications, but want to make a few theological points, if I may. I want to comment on the origins of the spring from which these ideas first came, how it developed into a stream and then a river, and how still today our understanding of rights and responsibilities is developing.
The noble Lord, Lord Lilley, is right. It goes back to those early chapters of Genesis. In fact, you could go back to the Code of Hammurabi, 1,700 years before Christ, but let us go back to the Ten Commandments, where we find the creation narratives where humankind is created in God’s image. It is about the inherent dignity that belongs to each and every person, not dependent on sex, wealth, education or any other differentiation. This is implied in the Ten Commandments and is developed further in passages such as Deuteronomy 10, where God defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the stranger in the land. It is why the prophet Isaiah urges the people of God to seek justice, correct oppression, defend the fatherless and plead for the widow.
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On 20th March 2025, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question he had tabled on the impact of reduced pharmacy opening hours:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the potential reduction in pharmacy opening hours.
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The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 20th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of freedom of religion or belief in Iraq; and what steps they are taking to support freedom of religion or belief in Iraq.
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The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on marking VJ day and the need to educate people on the dangers of atomic weapons on 20th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, can the Minister say a little more about VJ Day? Outside St Albans Cathedral is the peace obelisk given by the people of Japan because of the courageous witness of the then dean, Dean Thicknesse. Each year, on 6 August, we have an ecumenical act of witness and prayers there. What is being done specifically to educate people about the dreadful carnage caused by atomic bombs and how we can build today a world that does not need to use them in the future?
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On 19th March 2025, the Bishop of Norwich spoke in favour of amendments to the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill regarding support for families of service members:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, and the reflections that he has offered the Committee. I rise to support Amendments 8 and 9. I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Minto, and the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, for outlining their thinking around this issue because it goes to the heart of how we as a nation care for and see the well-being of our Armed Forces and their families, as part of the whole package that we offer to them.
As I think noble Lords know, I speak as the father of a member of the Armed Forces. It is often said that a parent is only as happy as their least happy child. On one level, I can imagine that it is also true that a member of His Majesty’s Armed Forces is only as happy as their least happy family member. So there is a pastoral duty here—one that is supported by many in the Armed Forces, including welfare organisations and our military chaplains—but both these amendments would help us really state the pastoral support that we as a nation feel is important for not only our Armed Forces personnel but their children, their families and their dependants.
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The Bishop of London spoke at the second reading of the Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill on 19th March 2025, welcoming the bill and its intended purpose of removing the prohibition on Roman Catholics serving as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble and learned Lords, Lord Wallace and Lord Hope. We on these Benches welcome this Bill and, as we have already heard, so does the Church of Scotland.
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