On 27th June 2018 the Advocate-General for Scotland, Lord Keen of Elie, repeated a Government answer to an Urgent Question on privately financed prisons that had been asked in the House of Commons earlier that day. The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, asked a follow up question to raise his concern about indebtedness to private companies:
The Archbishop of York: My Lords, I began my ministry as a prison chaplain in a young offender institution, Latchmere House, where every day some 60 to 70 young men arrived. As a chaplain you had to see them, but sometimes you did not succeed in seeing them because the place was overcrowded. In those days, the prisons were put there by Her Majesty and run with taxpayers’ money. Is the Minister confident that this private finance partnership will not create the same indebtedness from which the National Health Service is suffering? We owe a lot of money to private companies for our new hospitals. Are we walking into the same trap? Continue reading “Archbishop of York questions private finance for prisons”
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, the Ministry of Justice has produced clear evidence that women’s centres are effective at reducing reoffending, provide joined-up community services to support physical and mental health needs and give more opportunities to women to have access to their children. What assessment does the Minister make of the need for increased funding to sustain and open more women’s centres? 
On 5th March, Baroness Burt of Solihull asked Her Majesty’s Government ‘what assessment they have made of the suitability of bids for replacement services for women prisons made following the closure of HM Prison Holloway.’ The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd James Langstaff, asked a follow up question: 
In the House of Lords on the 22nd February 2018 the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, asked a question she had tabled to Government about their long-term plans for the prison sector, specifically plans for the funding of women’s centres.
On 8th February 2018 Lord Lee of Trafford asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the size of the prison population and conditions within prisons.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question about women in prison:
On 24th January 2018 Lord Ramsbotham asked Her Majesty’s Government “how many prisons have been given action plans, or are in special measures, following inspection reports.” The Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, asked a follow-up question:
On 9th January 2018 the Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Keen of Elie) repeated a Statement made in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Justice on the Parole Board’s decision to release John Worboys and the Government’s response to the issues raised by the case. The Bishop of Gloucester, Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, I, too, welcome this report and I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, and his team for producing it and for providing the opportunity for this debate today. The report itself, as noble Lords who have read it will know, is comprehensive, cogently argued, full of detailed supporting material and, importantly, highlights a number of innovative responses in various places across the prison estate. In summary, a clear case is made for nurturing healthy relationships for those in prison and the connection between that and rehabilitation and reoffending. 
The Church of England in Parliament 
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