On 13th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill
Tag: Gloucester
Bishop of Gloucester joins tributes to departing Clerk of Parliaments
The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during tributes to the departing Clerk of Parliaments, Ed Ollard, on 13th April 2021, thanking him for his service and welcoming the new Clerk, Simon Burton, to the role:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am very glad that I do not have to answer those questions, because I do not know the answers. However, I want to add a few words from these Benches, paying tribute on behalf of the Lords spiritual. My colleagues and I have greatly benefited from Ed Ollard’s sound judgment, diligent support and practical guidance in his time as the Clerk of the Parliaments. We on these Benches are immensely grateful for his calm and steady stewardship during, as others have said, this very unpredictable time. Navigating a unique transition to a hybrid Parliament, the role of the Clerk of the Parliaments has been challenging. He has met it head on, and it is a testament to his adaptability that your Lordships’ House has functioned so well and effectively during this pandemic. We warmly welcome Simon Burton to the role and very much look forward to working with him, but today, we want to say a huge “thank you” to Ed Ollard and to wish him all the best for the future.
Bishop of Gloucester asks about impact of COVID-19 on the prison system
The Bishop of Gloucester tabled a question on the impact of COVID-19 on the UK prison system and on the welfare of prisoners on 22nd March 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the (1) welfare, (2) rehabilitation, (3) sentence management, and (4) mental health, of prisoners.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about impact of COVID-19 on the prison system”Votes: Fire Safety Bill
On 17th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Fire Safety Bill. A vote was held on an amendment to the bill tabled by the Bishop of St Albans:
Bishop of Gloucester asks about tackling violence against women
The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on methods of tackling violence against women on 16th March 2021, following a government statement on the death of Sarah Everard and the police response at the recent memorial gathering:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too want to assure Sarah Everard’s family and friends of my thoughts and prayers. A couple of times in this House I have mentioned the work being done in Australia, the first country in the world to develop a national framework to prevent violence against women and girls. “Change the Story” identifies gendered drivers of violence and engages people where they live, work, learn and play. Will the Government take a serious look at Australia’s work and see what we can learn? Regarding the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we will not be doing the right service to violence against women and girls unless we also ensure that we address the issue of that large group of women in prison for minor but repeated offences. Many are there because of the violence towards them and they need appropriate trauma-informed, community-based provision. Can the Minister assure the House that the issues about crime and sentencing will be looked at in a rounded and not a disconnected way?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about tackling violence against women”Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment providing temporary leave to remain for migrant victims of abuse
On 15th March 2021, during a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill, the Bishop of Gloucester moved her amendment to the bill which would provide temporary leave to remain and access to public funds to support migrant victims of domestic abuse:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I should like at the outset to acknowledge the assistance that I have received from Southall Black Sisters in preparing this amendment, and also thank the Minister for her time and compassion in discussing this with me. Amendment 70 is tabled in my name with the support of the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Goudie and Lady Hamwee, and I am grateful to every one of them.
I know that the protection of all victims of domestic abuse is a priority of noble Lords across the House, and I am grateful for the support shown for this amendment, which aims to provide migrant victims of abuse with temporary leave to remain and access to public funds for a period of no less than six months, so that they can access support services while they flee abuse and apply to resolve their immigration status. The mechanism for doing so is straightforward: extend the eligibility criteria of the existing domestic violence—DV—rule, which is a proven route for a limited group of survivors, including those on certain spousal and partner visas.
The Government raised concerns over the interpretation of the amendment, so we have made a couple of minor changes to proposed new subsections (1) and (2) to clarify the purpose of this amendment. There is also an updated explanatory note. I hope that what is now clear from the minor changes to the wording is that we are asking for temporary leave to remain and access to public funds while these extremely vulnerable people escape their abusers and regularise their immigration status. This is not about guaranteeing indefinite leave to remain to all migrant victims of abuse.
Continue reading “Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment providing temporary leave to remain for migrant victims of abuse”Bishop of Gloucester asks about facilitation of contact with children for mothers in prison
The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the need to support contact between mothers and children on 15th March 2021, during a discussion on the issue of self-harm among women in prison:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, as has been said, anxiety is considerable for mothers in prison. The Visiting Mum scheme in HMP Eastwood Park found that the incidence of self-harm reduced when women had regular support contact with their children. What are the Government doing to ensure that motherhood is properly highlighted in pre-sentencing reports and that prison sentences are not used for mothers when a community-based intervention would be appropriate—as just highlighted by the Minister himself?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about facilitation of contact with children for mothers in prison”Votes: Domestic Abuse Bill
On 15th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Domestic Abuse Bill in report. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on community services and self defence law in cases of domestic abuse
The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during a debate on amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill on 10th March 2021, supporting an amendment on community services, and further amendments seeking to clarify the statutory defences for victims of domestic abuse who commit an offence:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Derby, who regrets that she cannot be here today, was pleased to support the noble Lord, Lord Polak, when his amendment on specialist and community-based services was discussed in Committee. We really warmly welcome the government amendments, which represent significant improvements on the Bill. All that being said, I am glad that the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, introduced Amendment 85 so that we might just press a little further. I do not want to repeat what other noble Lords have said, so I will make just a few brief comments.
We have heard repeatedly in debates in this House of the value of specialist and community-based services which allow survivors to remain in their homes and retain their community, their faith links and their workplaces and to keep children in their schools. Finding a long-term solution, as others have said, to supporting these services is essential. With colleagues on the Bishops’ Bench, I look forward to engaging with the victims’ law consultation and to reviewing the promised Clause 8 report from the domestic abuse commissioner to Parliament on the provision of, and need for, community-based support services.
Continue reading “Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on community services and self defence law in cases of domestic abuse”Votes: Domestic Abuse Bill
On 10th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Domestic Abuse Bill in Report. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
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