The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 22nd November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the recent loan provided by the International Monetary Fund to the country of Zambia, what discussions, if any, they have had with (1) the government of China, and (2) private western lenders, about cancelling debt owed by the government of Zambia.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about debts owed by Zambia”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 7th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 28 September (HL 2252), what plans they have to review the location of the British Embassy in Israel; and what steps they are taking as part of any such review to consult relevant civil society organisations, non-government organisations and faith communities.
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The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on the UK’s overseas aid budget on 1st November 2022, during a debate on the current conflict in Ukraine:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s commitment that the United Kingdom should remain one of the leading nations in equipping Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion and occupation of what is sovereign territory. In his maiden speech in July, my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham linked the Russian blockade with the risk of a devastating famine in the Horn of Africa and east Africa. With the suspension of the Black Sea grain initiative, does the Minister agree that this strengthens the case to restore the overseas aid budget to 0.7% without further delay?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about the UK’s overseas aid budget”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 1st November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the agreement reached in Algiers on 13 October by 14 Palestinian factions to hold legislative and presidential elections within 12 months in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in Gaza; and what plans they have, if any, to offer assistance to that end.
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On 31st October 2022, the House of Lords discussed a question for short debate tabled by Lord Lexden, asking whether the government planned to review the powers of the Police and Crime Commissioners. The Bishop of Southwark spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, for securing this debate and setting out for us with his habitual clarity the issues at hand. I am particularly saddened to hear that the good name of a distinguished former Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, has been traduced in the way that the noble Lord has described. However, I wish to approach this debate with a different focus.
Any hierarchy, any delivery of service, any public-facing organisation is fraught with multiple expectations and with the frailties and capacities of those who lead. For instance, diocesan bishops have wide discretion but are constrained by resource, custom, law, synodical structures and vocation.
The issues around effective delivery and of accountability in policing are very old. Historically, constables were at the direction of magistrates, who continued to sit on watch committees and police authorities until recent times. However, the growth in the size of forces and their operational complexity fuelled a sense of operational independence, away from political interference and amateur direction. It also allowed for co-operation at a national level where crime issues crossed county borders. Direct local accountability was seen to threaten professionalism, and it threatened the fight against crime nationally.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark speaks about reviewing the powers of Police and Crime Commissioners”On 27th October 2022, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in a debate marking the 50th Anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, reflecting on the government response at the time and the treatment of refugees today:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Popat, on securing this debate, marking as it does a significant and tragic episode in the history of Uganda, an important event in the history of the United Kingdom and an enduring part of the lived experience of thousands of our fellow citizens, as the noble Lord so eloquently demonstrated.
Many of us are old enough to remember the news footage, the feeling of injustice, the sense of a world out of kilter. After Idi Amin made the fateful speech on 4 August 1972, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Michael Ramsey, denounced what he called the “dreadful racialist policy” in a BBC broadcast. He was to make available a cottage in the grounds of Lambeth Palace to a displaced family. But compared with the dispossession and sometimes violence shown to those to whom Uganda was home, our discomfort was small indeed. It is a testimony to Ugandan Asians what they achieved in the years that followed. I am glad to see that my fellow bishop, the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York, spoke in this debate. We have all been edified by his wisdom and direct experience.
I want simply to look over some of the unintended consequences of those years and the then Government’s response. It was the Colonial Office’s intention in the late 1950s that the territories of east Africa should realise independence in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The watershed speech of Mr Harold Macmillan, known as “Winds of Change”, on 3 February 1960 signalled a major change of policy and pace. Tanganyika gained independence in 1961, and Uganda and Kenya each in the next two years.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark speaks in a debate on the anniversary of expulsion of Ugandan Asians”The Bishop of Southwark asked a question about corruption during a debate about treatment of opposition activists in Zimbabwe on 27th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the diocese of Southwark is linked with four of the five Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe and the neighbouring diocese of Rochester with the fifth, Harare. Does the Minister agree that the systemic corruption and long-standing poor level of governance in Zimbabwe continually undermine civil society and reduce the well-being of the people and all the institutions there, including the Church?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about corruption in Zimbabwe”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 27th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, what steps they are taking to resolve the situation that 608 prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection are at least 10 years over their original tariff.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about prison sentences”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 26th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government which Palestinian registered non-governmental organisations they fund; and with which they have contact.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about funding of non-governmental organisations in Palestine:”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 11th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:
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