Tag: Gloucester

Bishop of Gloucester questions rhetoric surrounding criminal justice

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the rhetoric used emphasising arrest and imprisonment, rather than rehabilitation, during a debate on the promised uplift in numbers of police on 2nd May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, it is very good to hear the Minister speak about police uplift. I am certainly not asking for more and more but I am asking for more join-up. I am really concerned about the “we are coming for you” rhetoric being part of the solution, and the sense that if we simply arrest more people and send more people to prison, we will reduce reoffending. There was nothing in the data about the high rate of reoffending. Unless we look at what is going on in our prisons, at how we rehabilitate people and address some of the systemic issues relating to why people offend in the first place, we will not be doing that join-up across the criminal justice system. I am really concerned about the rhetoric whereby, if you arrest more people and lock them up for longer, our streets will be safer; the data simply does not reflect that. Will the Minister say more about the join-up across the whole of the criminal justice system?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about conditions for those under Imprisonment for Public Protection

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 17th March 2023:

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

  • what emotional support and spiritual provision is available to prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection.
  • what assessment they have made of the increase in the numbers of prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection serving ten or more years beyond their original tariff.
  • what steps they are taking to reduce the number of women serving sentences under Imprisonment for Public Protection.
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Bishop of Gloucester asks about report on domestic abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th April 2023:

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

  • when they plan to publish their response to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report Safety before status: the solutions, which was due in February.
  • what assessment has been made of the recommendations in the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s second report into migrant survivors, Safety before status: the solutions, published on 13 December 2022.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con): Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. We are committed to supporting victims of abuse, regardless of their immigration status.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about female prisoners categorised as a serious risk to the public

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 6th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many restricted status prisoners were held in the female estate in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Bellamy (Con): A Restricted Status (RS) prisoner is any female, young person or young adult prisoner, convicted or on remand, whose escape would present a serious risk to the public and who is required to be held in designated secure accommodation.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about combatting domestic violence

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the government’s approach to addressing abuse and domestic violence on 23rd February 2023, during a debate on violence against women and girls:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, according to the Office for National Statistics, only 18% of domestic abuse victims report to the police. Can the Minister say whether the Government are taking a whole-system approach to tackling and preventing abuse—through the health system, education and better housing and welfare provision? A whole-system approach is needed.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about offences resulting from experiences of domestic abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on defence for victims of abuse who commit an offence on 21st February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the commitment by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 3 February 2021 (HL Deb col 2286) to “regularly reassess the effectiveness of any law and associated practices in protecting victims”, what recent assessment they have made of the need to review the existing defences for individuals whose offending or alleged offending results from their experience of domestic abuse.

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Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments targeting child poverty

On 20th February 2023, the House of Lords debated the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill on the first day of its committee stage. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in support of an amendment tabled by Baroness Lister, emphasising that reducing child poverty should be considered a priority:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too will speak in support of Amendment 4. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for tabling this amendment. I am very aware that my right reverend friend the Bishop of Durham is a co-signatory and is unable to be here today to speak.

Levelling up, as the Government’s White Paper initially outlined, is about equally spreading opportunity across our country. It is about challenging unfairness and allowing people to live more fulfilling lives—I thank the noble Lord, Lord Bird, for his inspiring speech. These are aims that surely all of us welcome, but I cannot see how this will ever be achieved unless the Bill includes reducing child poverty.

This is about the present and the long-term future. As has already been said, the latest statistics are that there are 3.9 million children living in poverty in this country; that is more than one in four. With more and more families turning to food banks and the experience of persistent poverty tripling a child’s likelihood of having mental health problems, this cannot continue.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about housing provision for vulnerable groups

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on provision of low cost housing for vulnerable groups of people such as those released from prison on 20th February 2023, during a debate on leasehold charges and transparency for leaseholders:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, some of the most vulnerable in society, including prison leavers and refugees, can be heavily penalised by the housing system. In the south-west, there is a joint project with the police and crime commissioner to manufacture low-cost eco-pods which provide not only employment and skills for prisoners on day release but a potential solution to rehousing vulnerable people. What is being done to speed up this sort of housing provision for vulnerable groups?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about funding for development of food banks into alternative social programmes

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 20th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a funding programme for food banks to develop into alternative forms of initiative, such as food clubs or social supermarkets.

Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con): Food Banks are independent, charitable organisations where local communities come together to support one another. This is a great example of the generosity of spirit across the country. The Government has no role in their operation.

Hansard

Bishop of Gloucester asks about automatic registration for free school meals

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 20th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost of the software that would be required to introduce an automatic registration system for income-related free school meals.

Baroness Barran (Con): An assessment has not been made of the specific costs of any software for automatic registration because there are also complex data, systems, and legal implications to such a change. The department continues to explore the delivery feasibility of improving existing systems including the development of auto-enrolment functionality.

Hansard