On 12th December 2016 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question he had asked on food aid to Rwanda:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide food aid to those affected by the drought in Eastern Rwanda. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about food aid for Rwanda”
On 10th October 2016 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received written answers to four questions on aid to Rwanda and Burundi:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans are in place to provide humanitarian aid in the event of a poor harvest in Burundi. [HL1693] Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about aid to Burundi and Rwanda”
On 6th July 2016, Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale asked Her Majesty’s Government “when they will publish the outcome of the Bilateral Aid Review.” The Bishop of St. Albans, the Rt. Rev. Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans:My Lords, I am a strong supporter of the Government’s aid and development commitments, but I am concerned about the porous lines between international aid and furthering the national interest. As the International Development Committee stated back in March, poverty reduction must remain a top priority for UK aid. Can the Minister indicate whether Her Majesty’s Government will seek to strengthen the conditions under which government spending can be classed as overseas development aid?
On Monday 6th June 2016 Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty’s Government “what is their assessment of the current situation in Burma, in particular with regard to the reported continuing military offensives and violations of human rights of the Shan, Kachin and Rohingya people by the Burmese army.” The Bishop of Derby, Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, is it true that DfID has decided prematurely to end funding for civil rights groups and civil society organisations that are working cross-border? Given the delicacy of the situation and the efforts to turn it around that have been referred to, should that decision, if it has been made, be reviewed so that we can play our part in helping those civil society organisations to make a full contribution? Continue reading “Bishop of Derby asks about the future of DfID funding for civil society groups in Burma”
On 23rd May 2016 the Bishop of Carlisle, Rt Revd James Newcome, spoke in the second day of debate on the Queen’s Speech. He focused his response on the Government’s proposals to tackle tax evasion and extremism, as well as calling for a renewed focus on international development and the military covenant. The Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, Earl Howe, responded on behalf of the Government.
Continue reading “Queen’s Speech 2016: Bishop of Carlisle responds on international affairs and the armed forces”
On 3rd May 2016 the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, received a written answer to a question about DfID’s future support to Iraq:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 1 April (HL7307), when they expect the Department for International Development to complete its assessment of the future support to Iraq through the Bilateral Aid Review process. [HL7711] Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks Government about future development support to Iraq”
On 22nd February 2016 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received three written answers to questions about conflict and aid in Burundi.
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have deployed, or intend to deploy, experts from the UK preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative team to help support local responses in Burundi to conflict related sexual violence. [HL5829]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We take the allegations of sexual violence in Burundi very seriously. The UK has been at the forefront of supporting the UN’s efforts to encourage an end to violence and human rights abuses in the country. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about response to conflict in Burundi”
On 19th October 2015 the Leader of the House of Lords repeated a statement made to the Commons by the Prime Minister on the European Council. The Bishop of Southwark, Rt Rev. Christopher Chessun, followed up with a short statement about the recent letter to the Prime Minister on refugees from 84 bishops of the Church of England .
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, we wish to thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for her Statement in which she repeated the Prime Minister’s Statement in another place on the European Council. I gather that in response to a point made about the Bishops’ recent letter, he said that he would like to see the Bishops make a very clear statement on the commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on aid. I speak only as the duty Bishop but Bishops always try to make very clear statements whenever they speak. We thank and endorse and congratulate the Government on maintaining this policy of delivering 0.7%; it is something from which many of the poorest countries in the world benefit. Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark speaks on the Prime Minister’s response to the bishops’ letter on refugees”
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that targeted aid reaches civilians in communities and towns under siege in Syria.
Baroness Verma: The UK is deeply concerned that, according to UN figures, 422,000 people currently live in besieged areas in Syria. DFID works with trusted humanitarian organisations that endeavour to assist these populations and others in hard-to-reach areas.
The UK strongly condemns and calls for an end to the unlawful denial of access to impartial humanitarian partners. We have been instrumental in securing the passage of three UN Security Council Resolutions – 2139, 2156 and 2191 – demanding that all parties respect international humanitarian law and allow unhindered humanitarian access. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about aid to Syrians and protection of civilians from war crimes”
The Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure humanitarian access to civilian communities in Iraq in need of aid who are caught up in the fighting.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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