The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 10th January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the strategic importance of the BBC World Service during the Arab Spring protests.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The FCDO strongly values the BBC World Service’s role in bringing high quality and impartial broadcasting to global audiences, particularly where free speech is limited. The Integrated Review stated that the BBC’s foreign language services are part of what makes the UK a soft power superpower.
The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answer on 9th January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Georgia, if any, for the release from prison on health grounds of Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of that country.
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 19th December 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of children detained in prisons in Iran.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The treatment of juvenile offenders in Iran falls short of international standards. The Iranian judicial system is deeply flawed with frequent and well-documented violations of fair trial rights. The use of death sentences against minors is also a regular occurrence. Because of the lack of transparency of the Iranian judicial system, it is difficult to calculate with accuracy the number of children detained in Iran. In recent months, we have observed a significant increase in the rate at which children are arrested and a disproportionate number who have died during the protests. This was also noted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 17 October. The UK will continue to work with partners to hold Iran to account for its actions.
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 8th December 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and relations between that country and Rwanda; and what steps, if any, they are taking to de-escalate that conflict.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): The UK condemns the escalation in fighting in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Foreign Secretary has raised our concerns with both the President of DRC and the Foreign Minister of Rwanda; The Minister for Africa also recently spoke to the Rwandan Foreign Minister. We welcome agreement on a ceasefire as agreed at the Luanda summit in Angola on 23 November. It is vital that all parties implement it to secure a real de-escalation on the ground in Eastern DRC. We call on all sides to do everything they can to ensure armed groups respect the terms of the ceasefire and engage with the regional political processes, in order that an enduring political solution can be found.
The Bishop of St Albans asked a question regarding government response to suppression of journalists by the Chinese authorities on 1st December 2022, during a debate on a Commons Urgent Question concerning the arrest of BBC journalist Edward Lawrence while he was covering protests in Shanghai, China:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, what attempts are His Majesty’s Government making to work with our partners in the UN to build an international consensus, so that China, which is seeking to raise its profile as an international power, hears from all quarters that suppressing journalists, not least those who are doing their duties, and arresting people for these demonstrations is simply unacceptable in the modern world?
The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question for short debate in Grand Committee on 17th November 2022, concerning reports of human rights abuses in China:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of allegations of human rights abuses in China.
My Lords, I approach this debate with a great deal of reticence and, indeed, almost reluctance. I have long admired China and the Chinese people, although one should of course acknowledge that the population of China is made up of 56 different ethnic groups. I have long admired their ancient civilisation. Not only is China a country of great natural beauty; it is the nation that invented the compass, gunpowder, paper, moveable-type printing, kites, fireworks, silk, tea and porcelain, to name a few. I will perhaps omit noodles from my list of admirable inventions. My Chinese friends are among some of the most educated, industrious and cultured people I know. China is the fourth-largest country by land mass and has the largest population of any country in the world. Over many decades, we have developed extensive trade links with China, and it is in its interests and ours for us to share in commerce and seek to find common cause for the good of the world.
Yet I feel I cannot remain silent in the face of such a wide range of human rights abuses. Lying behind our profound differences is a vast cultural gulf that was laid bare most recently for me when I read President Xi’s speech at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party last month. He said:
“We will … continue to take the correct and distinctively Chinese approach to handling ethnic affairs … We will remain committed to the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt to socialist society.”
He also said:
“We have effectively contained ethnic separatists, religious extremists, and violent terrorists”.
To those here who are familiar with China’s history of human rights abuses, these are worrying words.
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 9th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call by the Women’s League of Burma and Burma Campaign UK to institute a comprehensive global arms embargo.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK is a longstanding supporter of an arms embargo on Myanmar. We are clear that countries should not sell arms to the Myanmar military. On 27 March, the UK coordinated a joint statement with 48 signatories that committed us to working to prevent the flow of arms and equipment to the Myanmar military. We have also worked with international partners at the G7, UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council.to secure strong language on stopping the flow of arms.
The Bishop of Guildford received the following written answer on 31st October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Guildford asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding recent reports that at least 10 leaders from unregistered Protestant churches were arrested and charged with fraud over normal church financial activities in 2021, including Zhang Chunlei, Yang Xiaoguang, and Hao Ming.
The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question for short debate on 27th October 2022, concerning the recent protests and demonstrations in Iran:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran concerning the recent demonstrations in that country.
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity that this short debate affords to highlight the plight of many people in Iran, especially young women, who are fighting for their basic human rights and, as a consequence, suffering horrific violence at the hands of the state.
Within a few metres of this Palace of Westminster, we have seen and heard the many protesters over recent weeks who have been chanting—please excuse my pronunciation — “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî”, a slogan which has been taken up by the protesters. It is Kurdish and it means “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The protesters are demonstrating in solidarity with the women in Iran. I hope that this will give us an opportunity for their voices to be heard in this Chamber today.
The Bishop of Southwark asked a question about corruption during a debate about treatment of opposition activists in Zimbabwe on 27th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the diocese of Southwark is linked with four of the five Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe and the neighbouring diocese of Rochester with the fifth, Harare. Does the Minister agree that the systemic corruption and long-standing poor level of governance in Zimbabwe continually undermine civil society and reduce the well-being of the people and all the institutions there, including the Church?
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.