Bishop of Southwark asks about number of prosecutions for human trafficking in the last three years

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 25th May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions were undertaken of people smugglers in each of the last three years for which data are available.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about use of facial recognition by the Israeli military

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 23rd May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Amnesty International published on 2 May into the use of the Israeli military facial recognition system, Red Wolf, in mass surveillance and whether they support the call by Amnesty International for an end to mass and targeted surveillance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about relations with Israel

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 17th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what response they have received from the government of Israel regarding the joint call that they and diplomatic representatives from 16 other countries made on the 13 March to reverse the eviction of six Palestinian families from Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, and the Old City of Jerusalem.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about state pensions for British Nationals abroad

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 30th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what stage they have reached in negotiations with (1) the government of Canada, (2) the government of Australia, and (3) the government of New Zealand, on the annual uprating and payment of the UK state pension to beneficiaries resident in those countries.
  •  what representations they have received from, or on behalf of the governments of (1) Canada, (2) Australia, and (3) New Zealand, in the past 12 months on the subject of UK state pensions paid to individuals resident in their territories, and their annual uprating in line with those paid in the United Kingdom; and what representations have they received from non-governmental groups on the same subject.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The government does not have a policy to increase the number of countries with which the UK has reciprocal agreements on state pensions. The government has no plans to change its social security relationship with these countries on state pensions.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about recent statements regarding the Palestinian village of Hawara by Israeli finance minister

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 16th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the statement by Israel’s Minister of Finance, Mr Bezalel Smotrich, on 1 March, that the Palestinian village of Hawara “should be wiped out”.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about political pressure on the BBC

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on political pressure and the commodification of the BBC during a debate on the government’s role in the network’s impartiality on 15th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, political pressure on the BBC is not new. Mr Wilson, Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair all had their problems with the BBC. As in this place, those in power there face scrutiny, but does the Minister accept two things that are now in play when it comes to impartiality: first, the long-term commodification of the BBC, which has eroded its funding and its service commitment to the nations and regions at home, to religion, to culture, to education and to our mutual flourishing through both the expression of heightened values and entertainment; and, secondly, the fact that impartiality is about fairness? Who determines what is impartial? It should not be the Government.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about British citizens resident in the EU

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on representation for British Citizens resident in the EU during a debate on the EU Settlement scheme on 13th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, does the Minister agree that a positive move to implement the High Court judgment may help in bilateral representations where British citizens find themselves disadvantaged by the application of the immigration laws in certain EU countries where residence was not hitherto a problem?

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con): I entirely agree with the right reverend Prelate that clearly it helps that the Home Office works very closely with those in the Commission in relation to the respective rights of citizens in each other’s countries.

Hansard

Bishop of Southwark asks about conservation of antiquities in Iraq

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 8th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the work of a British Museum team in the discovery of an early Sumerian Palace at Girsu/Tello, funded by the Getty Museum, and (2) making provision of similar funding for the training of Iraqi archaeologists and the conservation of Iraq’s antiquities under the Cultural Heritage Protection Programme.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about closure of UN Human Rights Commissioners’ Office in Uganda

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 7th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what discussions they will have with the government of Uganda about its decision to close the offices of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in that country in August 2023.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about food rations sent to Rohingya refugees

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 7th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the World Food Programme to cut the daily food ration to Rohingya refugees by 17 per cent; and whether they will contribute to making up the shortfall in funding.

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