The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 25th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, in view of the expected growth in the supply of physician associates (PAs) to 10,000 by 2036–37 under the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, how many PAs are expected to work in each setting.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about plans to introduce Physician Associates in NHS settings”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 18th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what statistical evidence is held by the Home Office to support the claim made by former Home Secretary in the Daily Telegraph on 3 February that between 6 September 2022 and 13 November 2023, she “became aware of churches around the country facilitating industrial-scale bogus asylum claims”.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about recent statements by former Home Secretary on churches and asylum claims”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 18th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to develop engagement forums with asylum seeker and refugee communities.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): We regularly engage with stakeholders through standalone meetings and various forums such as the Asylum Strategic Engagement Group, which includes organisations who both speak for and represent asylum seekers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about social and community measures for those seeking asylum”On 12th March 2024 the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee held a one-off session on asylum decision-making and conversion to Christianity. The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, gave evidence in the second session alongside representatives from the Roman Catholic Church and Baptist Church. Dame Diana Johnson MP chaired the meeting.
On 6ht March 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in the final day of the report stage. The Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in support of amendment 34 to the bill, tabled by Baroness Lister of Burtersett, which would seek to restore the jurisdiction of the courts to review removal decisions taken on the basis of age assessments of unaccompanied children:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I rise also to support Amendment 34. I will keep my comments brief because I fully support the statements from the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, and the noble Lord, Lord Dubs. But please do not mistake my brevity with the level of importance that should be attached to this issue. Safeguarding is not some burdensome requirement but a moral and legal imperative. It is for this reason that I repeat the request that I made in Committee for a child’s rights impact assessment to be published.
It is welcome that the Government have excluded unaccompanied children from the Rwandan partnership, but to safeguard potential children effectively, this commitment must be more than a mere intention; it must be operationally put into practice. This amendment would help mitigate the risk of a person being sent erroneously—when they are, in fact, a child—by sensibly awaiting the result of any age assessment challenge before their removal. When it comes to a child, we cannot allow harm to be addressed retrospectively, as surely it is the role of any Government to prevent harm, regardless of the immigration objective. Trauma, as we have heard, simply cannot be remedied.
Continue reading “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford supports amendment providing additional protection to unaccompanied children”On 6th March 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in the final day of the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which bishops took part:
The Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in a debate on the reconstruction of the healthcare system in Myanmar on 29th February 2024, highlighting the impact of the humanitarian situation on the health system, and asking what interventions could be provided to address the medical need in the country:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, for securing this important debate and for his commitment to raising the profile of this important issue. This time nearly a year ago, the noble Lord asked an Oral Question about health workers in Myanmar in your Lordships’ House. The picture then was stark, but NGOs agree that in the intervening year, the situation has deteriorated further.
As we have heard, 104 health workers have lost their lives and many more have been detained in the three years since the coup. Although I certainly echo the congratulations to the UK Government on a number of impactful training and partnership programmes, it is clear that more needs to be done. We have heard about the appalling attacks on health workers, which have rightly been thoroughly condemned. However, it is important too to consider the broader humanitarian situation and its impact on the country’s health system. I do not personally have any specific connection with Myanmar but, like many others, I have a concern for how this country can play a positive part in places in the world that are suffering humanitarian disasters and injustice.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford takes part in debate on healthcare shortages in Myanmar”On 29th February 2024, the Bishop of Chelmsford led a grand committee debate on the delivery of a long term national housing strategy, calling for commitment to improving housing on a cross party basis, and a clear vision of what good housing looks like:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote a long-term national housing strategy, and to seek cross-party support to ensure its effective delivery.
My Lords, it is a great privilege to open this debate and I am grateful to all noble Lords who have signed up to speak. I look forward to hearing from the great wealth of expertise and experience.
We are in the midst of a housing crisis. For too many people in the UK, home is not a place of safety and security but somewhere expensive or temporary, insecure or unhealthy. There are 140,000 children living in temporary accommodation, 1.2 million households on waiting lists for social homes, and numerous young professionals consigned to be part of “generation rent”. Inadequate housing has knock-on effects throughout a person’s life: on their education, their mental and physical well-being, their relationships and their ability to put down roots. It does not have to be like this. It is worth restating that decent housing is one of the basic essentials for a fulfilled and healthy life, yet we have some of the poorest quality housing in Europe. We can do better than the current system—indeed, we must do better.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford tables question for debate on long term national housing strategy”The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on the potential impact the building a national park on the Mount of Olives would have on Christian holy sites on 29th February 2024, during a discussion on the Israeli prime minister ruling out a two state solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: Last year, it was reported that the Government of Israel were considering plans to build a national park on the Mount of Olives. Will the Minister say what assessment has been made of the impact of these proposals on the Christian holy sites in this area and the holy sites of other faith communities? What impact would such a project have on the prospect of Jerusalem as a shared capital for Israeli and Palestinian states?
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The right reverend Prelate has illustrated my point. Faith does provide a solution, as we have just seen in practical terms.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about effect building a national park on Mount of Olives would have on Christian holy sites”On 19th February 2024, the Bishop of Chelmsford tabled her her amendment 91 to the Safety of Rwanda (Immigration and Asylum) Bill, which would insert a sunset provision for the Bill to expire two years after commencement unless Parliament decides that it should remain in force and the Government has produced a report containing evidence that the Rwandan government is fulfilling its Treaty obligations:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, in moving Amendment 91 I am grateful to my friends the noble Lords, Lord Scriven and Lord Blunkett, for their support. The noble Lord, Lord Scriven, is in his seat and the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, was in touch with me today to apologise for not being able to be here this evening.
I want to keep my comments as short as possible, given the hour and the fact that some of the issues have already been debated in Committee. However, there is merit in discussing the value of a sunset provision, now that each of the Bill’s clauses has been scrutinised.
The fundamental issue, which I fear has not yet been fully addressed by the Government Benches, is that we are being asked to make a permanent judgment on the safety of Rwanda on the basis of the yet to be implemented arrangements outlined in the treaty. This is, of course, against the opinion of our highest court. Furthermore, it is simply not arguable on any rational basis that Rwanda is safe at present, when, as the Minister himself has conceded, Rwanda is moving towards having the required protections in place.
Continue reading “Safety of Rwanda (Immigration and Asylum) Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford moves amendment introducing sunset clause to bill”
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