Tag: culture

Bishop of Manchester asks about funding for music and drama education

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on support for music and drama heritage in the UK on 28th January 2026, during a discussion on funding of the Music and Dance Scheme for schools to support children from families with lower incomes:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I declare my interest: I might myself have the voice of a frog but I have Chetham’s School of Music, which provides wonderful choristers for my cathedral. Does the Minister agree with me that there seems to be an anomaly? Last week the Government were able to announce significant money over four or five years for the built heritage of this country. However, when it comes to an equally important part of our heritage, our music and drama heritage, we are told that the most we can expect is another year and then, perhaps, later on, something longer. Why can we not have a similar length of settlement for the music and dance schools now as we had for the built heritage last week?

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Bishop of Hereford asks about financial impact of 2025 budget on music performances in churches

The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the role of churches as music and performance venues, during a discussion on the impact of the 2025 budget on grassroots music venues on 26th January 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his answers. Across the country, churches provide the largest network of performance spaces available to professional and amateur groups for music making and other artistic endeavours, so I thank him for the recent announcement regarding the new places of worship renewal fund. But I am sure he will be aware that there are thousands of churches and other faith communities across the country waiting to know how that scheme will operate. Will the Minister let us know when the details of the scheme will be published and whether the Government will work with us to ensure the scheme is workable, consistent and fair, especially in the levying of VAT?

Lord Livermore (Lab, Treasury): I am grateful for the support that the right reverend Prelate set out in his question. I assure him that that will be responded to very shortly.

Hansard

Bishop of Winchester asks about access to youth mobility schemes

The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on encouraging participation in youth mobility schemes for UK students and young people on 29th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: I am very grateful to the Minister for her Answer. For understandable reasons, His Majesty’s Government are very concerned at the moment to prevent people crossing the channel in one direction. However, it seems to me that we should be positively encouraging our young people to cross the channel in the other direction to take advantage of the very real opportunities a youth mobility scheme would offer, not simply for their own sake—although that is really important, as we have heard—but because, in an increasingly fractious and dangerous world, we sorely need young people with a broad, informed international perspective. Can the Minister confirm that—as well as, I hope, allowing such mobility—the Government will actually encourage such participation?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about freedom of religion and belief in Turkey

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 23rd June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report of the European Parliament A-10-0067/2025 on the 2023 & 2024 Commission on Türkiye and the subsequent motion of 6 May, in particular paragraph 25 of the report where the parliament calls for Turkey to respect the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Orthodox Christians; recognise its legal personality and the public use of the ecclesiastical title of Ecumenical Patriarch; and protect the value of UNESCO World Heritage sites the Hagia Sophia and Chora Museum.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about combatting illegal sale of cultural artefacts from Syria

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 23rd June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to curb the sale of looted antiquities from Syria on the international market.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about preservation of cultural heritage in Jerusalem and Cairo

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 17th June 2025:

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

  • whether they will meet members of Save the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem; and what support, if any, they are providing to the campaign of preventing the takeover of Armenian property in the Old City of Jerusalem.
  •  whether they will take steps to ensure there are no changes to the shape of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem that would be illegal.
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Bishop of Chichester speaks in debate on UK craft industry

On 12th June 2025, the Bishop of Chichester spoke in a short debate on the role of craft industries in the UK to highlight the contribution these people play to maintain churches and cathedrals:

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, it is a great privilege to take part in this debate. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, for bringing it forward. I echo much of what was said by my right reverend friend the Bishop of Southwark and by the noble Lord, Lord Lingfield, with whom I worked at St Paul’s.

I would like to stress the importance of capacity for long-term funding in order that long-term planning can be undertaken by these fragile groups. I was disappointed that this morning there was no response from the Minister in the Statement on the spending review to indicate that there will be certainty about the future of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond 2026, which is essential for so many churches, parishes and cathedrals, nor a review of the capping system of the VAT application, which once again destroys much of the benefit of knowing that there is funding ahead.

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Bishop of Southwark speaks in debate on role of crafts industry

The Bishop of Southwark spoke in debate on the rile of craft industries in the UK on 12th June 2025, highlighting the role of the Church of England in supporting craft skills:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, for securing this debate and for his expertise.

Like the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chichester, who will speak later, I believe that cathedrals and churches are some of our nation’s most significant and tangible assets, shaping our history and identity, as well as being the beating hearts of our communities. I regret, therefore, that the Government’s decision to curb support for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme affects our ability to maintain and renew this precious inheritance. I hope this has been recognised in the spending review.

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Holocaust Memorial Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendment on building of learning centre

On 11th June 2025, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of an amendment to the Holocaust Memorial Bill tabled by Lord Russell of Liverpool, which would stipulate that: “No Learning Centre should be constructed underground in order that a Learning Centre be constructed of adequate size in line with the recommendation of the 2015 Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report and in order to avoid detriment to Victoria Tower Gardens.”

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I support Amendment 2 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Russell of Liverpool, as it encapsulates my concern. I intend to speak briefly. During the debate on ping-pong on the data Bill on 2 June, the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, referred to some pre-ministerial training administered in the days before he and colleagues entered government, which included a former senior civil servant saying:

“Whatever happens, it is never too late to avoid making a bad decision”.—[Official Report, 2/6/25; col. 498.]

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Bishop of Norwich asks about grant funding for Cathedrals

The Bishop of Norwich asked a question on grant applications from Cathedrals on 6th March 2025, during a discussion on introducing  admission charges to museums and galleries for non-UK residents:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, this nation’s cathedrals, while not museums, are among the gems of our heritage—treasure troves of memory, architectural masterpieces, and places where prayer has been valid for centuries. The majority do not charge anyone for entry, because they believe in a theological principle that places of prayer should be free for all. Will the Minister confirm that, when cathedrals that do not charge an entry fee apply for grants from public money, His Majesty’s Government will not penalise them?

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