Tag: Southwark

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendments on conscientious objections

The Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life Bill) intended to provide a framework for conscientious objections and opt-outs to the bill for a wider range of health and social care staff on 27th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am glad to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Fox of Buckley, because I added my signature to Amendment 673 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser, as did the noble Lords, Lord Carlile and Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.

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Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendments on protection of those with communication difficulties

On 20th March 2026, during a debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of amendments to the bill focused on providing protection for those with speech, language, and communication difficulties:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I support the amendments in this group, particularly Amendment 171 in the names of the noble Baronesses, Lady Nicholson of Winterbourne and Lady O’Loan.

Clause 5, as we have heard, introduces a key element in the infrastructure of assisted dying in this Bill by providing what is intended to be a safe, but not mandatory, introduction to the subject of death with the assistance of another human being. For proponents of the Bill, the advantages of such an introduction are obvious. In their minds, it will remove a good deal of unnecessary distress on the part of those who wish to proceed with such an option and on the part of those who do not. However, as we have heard from those of us who have long experience of pastoral encounters, the experience is likely to be rife with pitfalls.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about funding of the BBC World Service

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 9th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the funding of the BBC World Service from 1 April 2026.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab, FCDO): Grant-in-Aid funding for the next three years for the BBC World Service will be decided through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office allocations process, and announced in advance of the 2026/27 financial year.

Hansard

Bishop of Southwark asks about UK response to Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 6th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government

  • what assessment they have made of the impact that the construction of the E1 settlement to the east of Jerusalem will have on the on the prospect of an independent, viable and contiguous Palestinian State
  • what assessment have they made of the merits of imposing travel or economic sanctions on individuals or bodies involved in the planning and construction of the E1 settlement to the east of Jerusalem.
  • what assessment they have made of the merits of (1) reviewing existing trade ties with Israel, or (2) suspending the 2030 Roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations and imposing targeted sanctions upon Israel, because of the planned construction of the E1 settlement.
  • what representations they have made to the government of Israel over the seizure of the UNESCO archaeological site at Sebastia on the West Bank, including the traditional burial place of St John the Baptist, for the new Shomron National Park.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about reconstruction in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 23rd February 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the repair of graves in the Gaza war cemetery in al-Tuffah.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about killing of Palestinian journalists

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 12th February 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked  His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about the killing of three Palestinian journalists by a targeted strike on a vehicle on 21 January.

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Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Southwark calls for royal commission on dying well

The Bishop of Southwark spoke following a government statement preceding the committee debate on the bill, asking that, should the bill fall, a royal commission on dying well be considered:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I too wish to speak in good faith. That is what all our Committee consideration has been about, in almost every speech I have heard and listened to—and I have made an effort to attend a good number of sittings. I am very grateful to the Government Chief Whip for what he has said. I am also very grateful to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, for saying on the “Today” programme that he now anticipates that the Bill will fall. So my question is: if and when it does, please will the need for a royal commission on dying well be factored into consideration?

Hansard

Bishop of Southwark asks about Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 26th January 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 16 September 2025 (HL10149), what plans they have to disburse all the remaining funds in the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme by raising the cap on individual claims retrospectively in the final weeks of the scheme.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about humanitarian aid to Gaza

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 13th January 2026:

The Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the impact of recent registration measures by the government of Israel on the ability of international nongovernmental organisations to deliver humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
  • what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and what representations they have made to the government of Israel to lift the restrictions on international humanitarian assistance in that territory.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about religious freedom in Armenia

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 5th January 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, following the arrest of an archbishop in Armenia on 4 December, what assessment they have made of religious freedom in that country, and what discussions they have had with the government of Armenia about that issue.

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