The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to those UK citizens names as co-conspirators in the trial of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.
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The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the pilot, launched in March 2021, with 15 magistrates’ courts, involving the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS and the probation service, of an alternative delivery model to increase the number of cases receiving pre-sentence reports.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about data collection in criminal justice”
On 12th May the House of Lords Debated the Queen’s speech. The Bishop of Southwark spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the late Sir Winston Churchill said:
“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”
I consider that a useful maxim for any Government’s programme, both to build up and, in modern speak, to level up. With that maxim in mind and looking at the Government’s concern in relation to the Human Rights Act, I say that the recently introduced measures on migration and further proposals on public order will inevitably impact adversely on the welcome of refugees, including Ukrainians, and on legitimate protest. I regret that we did not hear of specific action to insulate homes to tackle the energy crisis and measures to alleviate rising poverty, not to mention action on the climate crisis—in particular, an end to new fossil fuels. We must not allow these vital changes to be eclipsed by the Russian military escapade and its consequences in Ukraine.
However, important as that all is, I wish to focus on those elements in the gracious Speech that promise to address the balance between the operation of the courts and the legislature and to do so through a Bill of Rights. I note with appreciation the comments of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge, and other noble Lords.
Continue reading “Queen’s Speech: Bishop of Southwark speaks on legislature and the courts”On 27th April 2022, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Judicial Review and Courts Bill. There was a vote on an amendment in which one Bishop took part.
On 31st March 2022, the House of Lords debated Commons Amendments to the Judicial Review and Courts Bill. There were votes on several amendments, in which Bishops took part.
During a debate on compensation for postmasters affected by the Horizon IT Scandal on 10th January 2022, the Bishop of Leeds asked whether legal costs were being paid for these postmasters:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, will the Minister say whether, following on from that question, those who are currently negotiating compensation with the Post Office for some form of redress are having their legal costs paid, or are they expected to pay them and then try to claim them back later?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about legal costs for postmasters affected by miscarriage of justice”On 22nd November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill. The Bishop of Leeds spoke in the debate, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Coussins which would establish minimum qualifications for court appointed interpreters:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I endorse every word of what the noble Baroness just said. In a previous incarnation—that is probably the wrong phrase to use; I am mixing my religions—I was a professional linguist in Russian, German and French, working in government service. One of the things you learn as a professional linguist is that language goes deep. This is not simply a matter of picking someone off the street who can order a pint in a Spanish bar; you are dealing with the stuff of people’s lives. Surely accuracy is vital, for the sake of not only clarity of understanding but justice itself.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Leeds supports amendment on qualifications for court interpreters”The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on public confidence in the law and the justice system following a Commons Urgent Statement on the collapse of a trial associated with the Hillsborough disaster:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, what have the Government learned about the process of justice and public confidence in law, when a trial can collapse one day and a defence counsel stands in the street outside the court and maintains unequivocally that this proves that there has not been a cover-up, yet almost the next day the police admit such cover-ups and compensation is duly paid?
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con, Ministry of Justice): My Lords, as Prime Minister David Cameron said when he made the apology in the other place, the families
“suffered a double injustice: the injustice of the … events”
themselves,
“the failure of the state to protect”
them
“and the indefensible wait to get to the truth;”
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about public confidence in the law following collapse of trial in the Hillsborough disaster case”
The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the importance of crime diversion and community police provision on 26th January 2021, during a discussion on the crown court backlog for serious criminal cases:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: I draw attention to my interest on the register as the Anglican bishop for Her Majesty’s prisons. The backlog of cases has a serious impact on offenders, victims and witnesses. On top of this, projections from the Ministry of Justice show that the prison population is expected to jump to almost 100,000 in 2026, which adversely affects prison staff as well as prisoners. Does the Minister agree that resources could be better spent on police-led diversion work and community-based provision, which could start now?
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The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st Janaury 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made towards introducing Integrated Domestic Abuse Court pilot schemes.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about new domestic violence scheme in the courts”
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