Tag: Gloucester

Bishop of Gloucester asks about reducing rates of offending

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on reducing rates of offending and reoffending during a discussion on criminal justice reform on 8th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for this Statement, particularly the highlight on IPP prisoners. However, the approach still feels piecemeal, driven too much by ill-informed public narrative and wrongly focusing the problem on prison capacity. Does the Minister agree that the focus needs to be on reducing offending and reoffending, with the solutions being evidence-led to benefit victims, offenders, families and communities together? Will he say what progress has been made in response to recommendation 5.1 of the Independent Sentencing Review, namely, that we should:

“Launch a public awareness campaign on sentencing”,

because in recent weeks we have seen the consequences of this huge void?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about equality assessment of the prison and probation services

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 15th July 2026:

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

  • whether they conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014 for (1) prisons, (2) HM Prison and Probation Service, and (3) providers of probation services.
  • whether they have conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014; what assessment was made of the impact of the framework on women; and what conclusions were reached. 
  • what assessment they made, during the development of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014, of the potential impact on individuals already employed by (1) prisons, (2) HM Prison and Probation Service, and (3) providers of probation services.
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Bishop of Gloucester speaks in debate on international development outcomes for women and girls

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in a debate on international development outcomes for women and girls on 9th July 2026, raising the issue of violence against women and girls and the impact of cuts to official development assistance:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, for bringing this debate. I will focus on violence against women and girls. As we have heard, the fundamental concern here is whether the reduction in UK ODA can be achieved without significant consequences for women and girls. The Government’s own equality impact assessment acknowledges that the reduction in ODA

“will inevitably have negative impacts for many programme beneficiaries”.

I state the obvious here that women and girls constitute at least 50% of the world’s population. When we talk about these issues, I often feel as though we are talking about something that affects a minority group, which would still not be acceptable, but sometimes we need to state the obvious.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about women remanded in custody

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 1st July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what proportion of women being held on remand are remanded for their own protection; and what assessment they have made of the reasons why they are being remanded for their own protection.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about women’s representation in the peace process

The Bishop of Gloucester tabled a question on efforts to promote women’s representation in peace processes in conflict-affected regions on 30th June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote women’s representation in peace processes in conflict-affected regions.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about reoffending rates

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 24th June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many prisoners in England and Wales received “two strike” sentences between 21 March 1997 and 4 April 2005; and how many of that number have (1) never been released, or (2) been recalled to prison following release.

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King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Gloucester speaks on criminal justice

The Bishop of Gloucester gave a speech in the King’s Speech debate on 18th May 2026, urging the government to take a long term and nuanced view on prisons and criminal justice:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, it is a great privilege to speak today in response to His Majesty’s gracious Speech. It was a delight and privilege to hear the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Case, and of course, that of my friend, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. She and I share a commitment to justice, and I refer to my interests stated in the register as Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons.

The gracious Speech set out the Government’s ambition for the UK to be

“a country fair for all and a place where every child is included in the nation’s highest aspirations”.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about compassionate release of prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 25th March 2026:

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

  • how many prisoners (1) applied for, and (2) were granted, early release on compassionate grounds in each of the past five years.
  • whether a three-month prognosis is required for a prisoner to be considered for early release on compassionate grounds.
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Bishop of Gloucester asks about prisoners in hospice care

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 19th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many prisoners were moved into a hospice in each of the past five years.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about regional disparities in the imprisonment of women

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, in regard to the women’s local data resources published by the Prison Reform Trust, what steps they are taking to address the regional disparities in the use of imprisonment for women.

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