On 17th July 2023, the House of Lords debated Commons amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill. Votes were held on motions relating to amendments, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Illegal Migration Bill
Tag: children and families
Bishop of Gloucester asks about caring responsibilities and history of local authority care for prisoners
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th July 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:
- following the introduction of the Basic Custody Screening Tool, how many (1) men, and (2) women, currently in custody have been assessed as having primary caring responsibilities; and how many children are affected by their imprisonment.
- how many women in prison have been identified as having previously been in local authority care in each of the last five years.
Bishop of Durham asks about paid parental leave
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 11th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the joint report by the Centre for Progressive Policy, Pregnant Then Screwed and Women in Data Leave in the lurch: Paternity leave, gender equality and the UK economy, published on 15 June, what plans they have to adopt the recommendation contained in that report to increase statutory paid leave entitlement for fathers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about paid parental leave”Bishop of St Albans asks about recruitment in the early years sector
On 29th June 2023, Bishop of St Albans asked a question on effective recruitment for early years and childcare settings following a government statement on childcare reform:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I join others in congratulating His Majesty’s Government for what is a very forward-looking and exciting series of announcements. The research we have on the first 1,000 years and many other pieces of research show just how vital this is, and it absolutely plays into the last debate about our economy in the long run.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about recruitment in the early years sector”Bishop of Durham asks about government’s response to Archbishops’ Commission On Families & Households
On 13th June 2023, the Bishop of Durham tabled a question on the government’s assessment of the report of the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households, and any steps they planned to take in response to the report’s findings:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report of the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households, ‘Love Matters’, published on 26 April; and what steps they plan to take in response to its findings.
Baroness Barran (Con, Department for Education): My Lords, I thank all members of the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households for their report, which underlines the importance of love in family life. This has particular importance for those children with a disrupted family life, hence the focus in our recent strategy for children in the social care system, Stable Homes, Built on Love. We will consider the report’s recommendations alongside the Government’s response to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner Family Review.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about government’s response to Archbishops’ Commission On Families & Households”Illegal Migration Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendments to limit the use of force and detention on pregnant women
On 7th June 2023, the House of Lords debated the Illegal Migration Bill in committee. The Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of amendments to the bill; in the name of the Bishop of Gloucester, Baroness Lister of Burtersett, and other peers; that would place limits on the detention of pregnant women and the use of force against children and pregnant women:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, who has expertly outlined why these amendments are needed. My good friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester has added her name in support of Amendments 68 and 70, and regrets she is not able to be here to give her support in person. I share her concern about the impact of detention on pregnant women in particular, impact which we know is considerable. Others will rightly draw attention to the impact on children, and the suggestion of the use of force against either group is unspeakable. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons advises that there
“is no safe way to use force against a pregnant woman, and to initiate it for the purpose of removal is to take an unacceptable risk”.
Continue reading “Illegal Migration Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendments to limit the use of force and detention on pregnant women”Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about means of identifying bereaved children
The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham received the following written answer on 6th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to identify bereaved children in official statistics for the purposes of meeting their needs.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con): The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about means of identifying bereaved children”Bishop of Durham asks about the proposed Illegal Migration Bill
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 23rd May 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government whether there have been any changes to asylum screening interviews since 7 March.
Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): There have been no changes to the asylum screening interview template since 7 March.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about the proposed Illegal Migration Bill”Illegal Migration Bill: Bishop of Durham highlights threats to safeguarding and potential breaching of the refugee convention
On 10th May 2023, the House of Lords debated the Illegal Migration Bill in its first reading. The Bishop of Durham spoke in the debate, pointing out risks to child safeguarding and potential breaches of the refugee convention if the bill was enacted as written:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: I declare my interests as a member of the RAMP project and a trustee of Reset.
When looking to engage with a Bill, Members decide whether to focus on the detail or address the underlying principles behind the proposed legislation. This Bill leaves me with no choice but to start with the latter, as it asks fundamental questions about who we are as a nation. In order to supposedly reduce channel crossings, are we really prepared to consent to “extinguishing”, as the UNHCR puts it, the right to claim asylum and withholding support for victims of trafficking, and indefinitely detaining thousands of asylum seekers, including children and pregnant women? We have been left to consider the Bill’s provisions without an impact assessment, but these consequences will potentially lead to an unjustified intolerable level of harm which does not reflect who we are as a nation.
Continue reading “Illegal Migration Bill: Bishop of Durham highlights threats to safeguarding and potential breaching of the refugee convention”Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks government about resources for families dealing with bereavement
The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question about the adequacy of support for bereaved children and families on 6th January 2023, during a debate on available resources for bereaved children in schools:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, the Church of England educates over 1 million children in its schools and has produced highly accessible guidance and training for its school leaders on supporting students and families through grief, bereavement and loss. Recognising in particular the barriers to learning and flourishing that trauma may cause, would the Minister meet with the Church of England’s education team to see whether these outstanding resources could in fact help other students, teachers and families across the country?
Baroness Barran (Con): I thank the right reverend Prelate for the invitation; I would be delighted to meet with them.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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