Bishop of Carlisle leads tributes to departing Leader of the House of Lords

On 15th July, tributes were offered to the out-going Leader of the House of Lords, the Lord Hill of Oareford, following his nomination as the United Kingdom’s candidate to the European Commission. The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Revd James Newcome, led the tributes on behalf of the Lords Spiritual.

14.06.09 Bishop of CarlisleThe Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I associate those of us on these Benches with the generous comments from around the House about the noble Lord, Lord Hill. My colleagues have been grateful for the support, the wisdom and the guidance of the noble Lord and his office for the Lords spiritual to enable our contribution to the work of the House to match the high levels of all other parts of the House. He also did a wonderful job as Education Minister and he has been a good friend to the Church and to the Lords Spiritual. Continue reading “Bishop of Carlisle leads tributes to departing Leader of the House of Lords”

Written Answers – Second Church Estates Commissioner

On 15th July 2014, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the Rt Hon. Sir Tony Baldry MP, answered two written questions on behalf of the Church Commissioners, on pay and procurement.

Tony Baldry MP

Pay

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many officials in the Church Commissioners, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Sir Tony Baldry: The staff employed by the Church Commissioners and the other national institutions of the Church of England are not part of the civil service and are not on incremental scales. The value of pay awards from 2010 have been as follows: Continue reading “Written Answers – Second Church Estates Commissioner”

Bishop of Carlisle calls for Government action to tackle religious persecution in Republic of Sudan

“…the local Christian diocese has to shoulder most of the burden of caring for people who are in desperate need, and of attempting to feed them when its own resources are pitifully small. Have Her Majesty’s Government given any consideration to providing aid, and so helping to meet people’s basic human rights to food and drink, through the church in that part of Sudan? Heroic efforts are being made to alleviate desperate need, but funding is urgently required” – Bishop of Carlisle, 14.7.14

CarlisleOn 14th July 2014, Baroness Cox led a short debate in the House of Lords to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of human rights in the Republic of Sudan. The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Revd James Newcome, took part in the debate. He spoke about the dire humanitarian situation in the country and the increasing role being played by the church; and also highlighted a number of instances of persecution on the grounds of religious beliefs, urging the Government to put pressure on the Republic of Sudan to respect and promote Article 18 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I, too, am most grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Cox. Unlike her, I cannot claim to be an expert on Sudan, but some of my colleagues who would normally speak on this issue have been unavoidably detained today in another debate of some importance to the church at the General Synod in York. I am very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to this debate because the human rights issues it raises are of such enormous significance, not only for the individuals directly concerned but for the way in which we direct our foreign aid and conduct our foreign policy. Continue reading “Bishop of Carlisle calls for Government action to tackle religious persecution in Republic of Sudan”

Written Questions – Disabled Students’ Allowances

On 14th July 2014, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, received answers to two written questions, on the subject of Disabled Students’ Allowances.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which criteria they will use, under the proposed changes to the Disabled Students’ Allowance, to distinguish between the need for higher specification or higher cost computers where a student needs one by virtue of their disability, as opposed to a need because of the way in which a course is delivered.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The criteria for determining when Disabled Student Allowances (DSAs) will contribute to the cost of higher specification or higher cost computers will be set out in guidance that will be published alongside the appropriate regulations in the autumn. Support under DSAs will continue to be available if the need for a higher specification or higher cost computer is by virtue of the student’s disability, rather than how the course is being delivered by the Higher Education Institution (HEI). If access to a higher specification or higher cost computer is essential to all students on that course, regardless of whether they are disabled or not, then provision of such computers would be a matter for the HEI.

Continue reading “Written Questions – Disabled Students’ Allowances”

Church of England Week in Westminster, 7th – 11th July 2014

Red BenchesWelcome to the Church of England’s weekly round-up of activity in Parliament by the Lords Spiritual.

In the past week, Bishops in the House of Lords have spoken in debates on the Deregulation Bill and in response to the Government statement on child abuse cases.

They have also put questions to the Government on sexual violence and food security in South Sudan, legal aid and the political situation in Egypt.

Continue reading “Church of England Week in Westminster, 7th – 11th July 2014”

Bishop of Coventry asks questions on democratic reform in Egypt

On 10th July 2014, the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received answers to two written questions on elections and democratic reform in Egypt.

13.10 Bishop of CoventryThe Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the preliminary assessment of the European Union’s election observation mission to Egypt on 29 May, which claimed that the presidential election in Egypt was administered in an environment that fell short of the principles of the new constitution.

The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The European Union election observation mission to Egypt issued a preliminary statement on 29 May. Their headline assessment was “Presidential elections administered in line with the law, in an environment falling short of constitutional principles”. We followed the presidential election closely and staff from our Cairo Embassy took part in the EU’s Electoral Observation Mission. The EU Observation Mission will issue its full report in due course. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks questions on democratic reform in Egypt”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government what support they are giving to Churches in South Sudan

On 8th July 2014, Labour Peer Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the concerns expressed by the Disasters Emergency Committee over the prospect of famine in South Sudan. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith asked a supplementary question.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the situation is dire. As well as the 4 million people in need of humanitarian aid, more than 10,000 people have already been killed and 1.4 million people have been displaced. When we are facing such terrible problems it is important not to underestimate the role played by various agencies already on the ground, including many Anglican and ecumenical agencies working with the Anglican Alliance. Indeed, Archbishop Daniel Deng has been a leader in the efforts to bring peace. How can Her Majesty’s Government support the churches working on the ground in their humanitarian and peace efforts and in delivering aid?

Baroness Northover: I too pay tribute to those who are working in these extremely difficult circumstances. The right reverend Prelate will know that the United Kingdom is a leading donor. We are meeting about 7.5% of the total appeal at the moment and working to support all the agencies that are managing to get in. We do not underestimate the difficulties.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of Chelmsford calls for implementation of Low Commission findings on legal aid

On 7th July 2014, Lord Bach asked Her Majesty’s Government, 15 months after the coming into force of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, what is their assessment of the effect of the Act on the legal advice system in relation to social welfare law in England and Wales. The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, asked a supplementary question:
14.06.09 Chelmsford 3The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I, too, should like to make reference to the Low commission. The church, faith communities and charities are all too keenly aware of the impacts of some of the cuts in legal aid on the poorest communities in our country. Sometimes a professional lawyer is needed. Would the Minister still regard the proposals of the Low commission for a nationally resourced strategy to provide support and legal advice as an important priority?
Lord Faulks: My Lords, as I said in response to the debate, it was a valuable contribution. The LASPO reforms were implemented only in April 2013; it is relatively early days. We are considering carefully the effects of these reforms. We have not ruled out the possibility of further changes but, at the moment, the various steps we are taking are helping to ensure that those who need representation are receiving it.
(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of Truro highlights church support for independent inquiry into abuse cases

On 7th July 2014, a Government statement on an inquiry into child abuse was repeated in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Tim Thornton, asked a question about Church involvement in the matter.

Bishop of Truro 20.6.13The Lord Bishop of Truro: My Lords, I welcome the Statement. The church is keen to be involved in any such overarching inquiry. A question was asked in the other place about whether the church is involved in this matter. Is the Minister aware that my friend the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to the Home Secretary some weeks ago asking for an inquiry such as this? The church is very willing to be involved. In a situation such as this—in which, inevitably and sadly, people involved in various authorities at a high level would be related to other authorities and institutions—it is crucial that such an inquiry is allowed to go wherever it needs to go. The church and other organisations and institutions should explicitly be involved in this matter. Perhaps I may add as chairman of the Children’s Society that we would be keen to stress that the voice of children and young people should be always in the centre of one’s thoughts on any matters such as this. If any matters come to light through this inquiry that need to be directed to the police, that will, one hopes, happen and they will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I pay tribute to the role of the church in the care of children. I am sure that the Home Secretary will note the offer of involvement in the review and these inquiries. I am delighted that the right reverend Prelate has raised this issue. The involvement of church activists in the national group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people is an important start.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of Worcester calls for action on sexual violence in South Sudan

On July 7th 2014, the Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd John Inge, received an answer to a written question on South Sudan.

WorcesterThe Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of sexual violence in the conflict in South Sudan; whether they are planning to deploy suitable experts from the Stabilisation Unit to strengthen and support efforts in South Sudan to respond; and, if so, when.

The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): We are deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations and abuses in South Sudan, including the widespread use of sexual violence. We fully support the work of the Africa Union Commission of Inquiry and echo the call in the recent UN Human Rights Council resolution for thorough and genuine investigations into all human rights violations and abuses and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

The UK is funding a project with non-governmental organisation Non Violent Peaceforce to establish women’s protection teams in Northern Bahr El Ghazal. This project aims to tackle sexual violence in communities affected by insecurity around the border with Sudan by establishing and training women’s peacekeeping teams to work within communities. We continue to raise the issue of human rights, and of sexual violence specifically, with South Sudanese Ministers. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), discussed the issue with the Foreign Minister of South Sudan at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on 11 June. Our Ambassador also raises these issues regularly with the Government of South Sudan.

There are currently no plans to send additional experts from the Stabilisation Unit to South Sudan. However, we keep all such plans under constant review.

(via Parliament.uk)