Tag: Gloucester

Bishop of Gloucester asks about settler violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

During a discussion on the conflict in Israel and Gaza on 3rd September 2024, the Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on growing settler violence in the West Bank and Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the recent attack on and dispossession of a Palestinian Christian family

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am grateful to the Foreign Secretary for holding together the trauma of the Israeli hostages and their families and communities, and that of the families and communities of Gaza.

I am very concerned that, as has been said by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, we do not lose sight of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank. I had the painful privilege of visiting there very recently and I was deeply perturbed, not least by the growing settler activity and, as has been said, the illegal settler outposts, including the abhorrent attack and subsequent dispossession of the Kissieh family of Palestinian Christians near Bethlehem. Will the Government take action on this as well as on the issue of arms licences?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about ICC judgement regarding Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take in response to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice issued on 19 July regarding (1) Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, and (2) its discriminatory laws and policies against Palestinians.

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King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Gloucester calls for new approach to justice and rehabilitation

The Bishop of Gloucester gave a speech on the topic of justice and prison reform during the Kings Speech Debate on 24th July 2024, calling for a new and joined up approach to criminal justice and rehabilitation:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Timpson, on his superb maiden speech, and I refer to my interest as stated in the register as Anglican bishop for prisons.

The gracious Speech began with the principles of

“security, fairness and opportunity for all”.

What does that mean for our criminal justice system? Much mention has been made of overcrowded prisons, an overflowing remand population and a void of rehabilitation leading to reoffending. In the past year I have convened cross-party, round-table discussions with key people in this and the other place, plus academics, those with lived experience and prison reformers. We are all agreed that we need a legislative definition of the purpose of imprisonment, and we need to improve the public’s understanding of sentencing. The concepts of punishment and vengeance are strong in the public narrative.

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Bishop of Gloucester responds to government statement on prison capacity

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question following a government statement on prison capacity on 24th July 2024, welcoming Lord Timpson to his role as Prisons Minister and querying how the government planned to change the public perception of prisons to encourage change:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too welcome the noble Lord, Lord Timpson—someone so brilliantly equipped for the task. I welcome this Statement and all the good sense contained in it as we lift this immediate crisis. I am all for new prison places, as long as they are not in addition to all the crumbling prison places. It was wonderful to hear him offer assurance that increased prison capacity will not become the main aim but rather, if I heard correctly, that we will have the courage to look at a whole-systems approach in a solution-focused way.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about accessibility of the Healthy Start Scheme

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 7th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the eligibility criteria, and (2) the available methods of applying, for people aged under 18 with children who are seeking to apply for the NHS Healthy Start scheme.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about allocation of resources to Criminal Cases Review Commission

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 1st May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of resources allocated to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about measures to deliver a more diverse judiciary

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the University of Manchester Racial Bias and the Bench: A response to the Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2020-2025), published in November 2022, what support they will give to recommendations to overhaul judicial appointment processes to deliver a more diverse judiciary and embed equalities within the judiciary.

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Victims and Prisoners Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendment aimed at protecting migrant victims of domestic abuse

During a debate on the Victims and Prisoners Bill on 23rd April 2024, the Bishop of Gloucester spoke in support of amendment 79 to the bill, which would aim to introduce protection for migrant victims of domestic violence:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, from listening to this debate, I am struck again and again by how so much of what we are saying was said in this House during the passage of the Domestic Abuse Bill. We need to listen to and be aware of that. I hope the Minister will reflect on that.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about proposed review of personal independence payments

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on how the government’s proposed review of personal independence payments (PIP) would affect those with severe lifelong disabilities on 23rd April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, yesterday I visited National Star, an FE college that serves young people with severe lifelong disabilities. Many of them are being subjected again and again to reassessment throughout their lives. That is not only traumatising but a complete waste of time and resources. What will the Government do to take this into consideration so that people with severe lifelong disabilities are not subjected to reassessment again and again, unless, of course, that disability is generative?

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Votes: Victims and Prisoners Bill

On 16th April 2024, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Prisoners Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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