Bishop of Manchester urges re-funding of the Inter Faith Network

The Bishop of Manchester urged the government to consider re-funding the Inter Faith Network on 22nd January 2025, during a discussion on extremism and community engagement:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, a decision under the previous Government about a particular Islamic organisation being characterised as extremist led to the defunding and collapse of the national Inter Faith Network. I wonder if the Minister agrees that the Inter Faith Network provided a vital role in co-ordinating interfaith work at a national level. We do great things at local level, but we need some national work as well. Will he urge His Majesty’s Government to commit to refunding the Inter Faith Network?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about uninsured tankers in UK waters

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 22nd January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to inspect and take into custody uninsured tankers sailing through UK waters.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about right to protest and service operation

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the balance between right to protest and ability to operate and access services on 21st January 2025, following a government statement on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to ask questions on this Statement, particularly as the noble Lord, Lord Mann, who is sitting behind me, raised issues of anti-Semitism. In Manchester, where I live among a very large Jewish community, it is an ongoing issue that we are always very sensitive to.

We have heard a lot about free speech, which, unsurprisingly, I am in favour of, and of difficult conversations from the noble Lord, which, again, I am in favour of. But sometimes the language shades over into what can only be called mob intimidation. It is about how we make that distinction between a difficult conversation and people being intimidated by loud, vociferous, angry behaviour that seeks deliberately to make them uncomfortable.

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Votes: Data (Use and Access) Bill

On 21st January 2025, the House of Lords debated the Data (Use and Access) Bill in the first day of the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about warm welcome campaign

The Bishop of Manchester asked about the role of places of worship in taking part in the warm welcome campaign on 21st January 2025, following a government statement on health and social care in winter:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the nurse who was attacked and injured at work recently and who has been kindly mentioned several times already today is a member of one of our Oldham congregations. I assure your Lordships’ House that she and her family remain very much in our prayers in Manchester.

Research by the National Churches Trust published last year shows that the ministry of the UK’s church buildings saves the NHS £8.4 billion every year. Church projects help keep many people out of hospital; they support others when discharged. Other faith communities do similar work and many of them do it in partnership with us.

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Bishop of Lichfield asks about reducing homelessness among prison-leavers

On 21st January 2025, the Bishop of Lichfield asked a question on reducing rates of homelessness among prison-leavers:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: My Lords, according to data from the Ministry of Justice, the proportion of all prison leavers who were released homeless in 2023-24 was 13%. Considering that people are 50% more likely to re-offend if they are homeless, what steps are the Government taking to reduce rates of homelessness among prison leavers?

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about alcohol related deaths

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 21st January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of data published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities on 3 December 2024 showing that the number of alcohol-specific deaths in England in 2023 was the highest on record; and what steps are they taking to reduce this number, particularly in the region of the North East region.

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Bishop of Sheffield speaks in debate on housing of asylum seekers in hotels

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on government policy on housing asylum seekers in hotels on 20th January 2025, raising instances from his own diocese, the need for better integration of asylum seekers into communities, and the cost of hotel accommodation:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I declare an interest as the patron of the charity ASSIST Sheffield. In the interests of time, I will limit my remarks to three key points.

First, there is the question of safety. One of the communities I serve as the Bishop of Sheffield is Rotherham. Noble Lords may recall how, in August last year, a group of asylum seekers living at the Holiday Inn in Manvers were deliberately targeted, in an incident that led to criminal convictions for over 60 men. The following month, at the request of the Mayor of South Yorkshire, I arranged for one of the churches in Sheffield, Christ Church Fulwood, to offer sanctuary for the day, free of charge, to a group of asylum seekers because there were fears that their hotel could be subject to a similar attack. Quite simply, it subjects asylum seekers to danger if they are placed in hotels in visible numbers. Dispersed accommodation offers greater protection and, for that reason, we should move to that provision as swiftly as possible.

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Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about ensuring proper safeguarding in faith and community spaces

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked a question on ensuring the safety of community spaces on 20th January 2025, in response to a government statement on investigations into child sexual exploitation and abuse:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I also pay tribute to victims and survivors in this regard, recognising that the failure to respond perpetuates and prolongs their suffering, and recognising—as noble Lords will all know—that the Church of England is facing significant challenges in putting its own house in order in that regard. I want to ask, therefore, a wider question on faith communities, all of which provide places of gathering and moral and social influence, and all of which strive to make those places as safe as possible. What conversations are continuing with leaders of faith communities to support them in that vital work?

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Bishop of London asks about respite care options

The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 20th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the availability of respite care for adults with complex needs following the closure of the charity Revitalise at the end of November 2024.
  • what assessment they have made of the respite care options for adults with complex needs, including for holiday breaks.
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