Bishop of Manchester asks about support for civil society organisations

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on ongoing support for voluntary civil society organisations providing stress support for communities on 3rd December 2024, following a government statement on anti-social behaviour:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I declare my interest as the co-chair of the national ethics committee of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. However, it is more in my role as Bishop of Manchester that I am speaking now. I get to go out from time to time at night with Street Angels or Street Pastors groups, as they are sometimes called. Many of these originated in the churches, but they are not exclusively church-based organisations. They provide gentle support on the streets, often late at night in city and town centres, helping to keep the peace. They help to deal with people who have become distressed—perhaps somebody who has had too much to drink and is either not safe themselves or cannot keep those around them safe.

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Bishop of Durham asks about efforts to encourage volunteering opportunities

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 26th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what encouragement they are providing to businesses to promote and encourage volunteering amongst employees.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con): His Majesty’s Government recognises how vital volunteering is for society, reaping benefits for those who volunteer as well as the organisations they assist. The Government aims to remove barriers which prevent people from getting involved.

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Bishop of Durham asks about impact of COVID-19 on the charity sector

The Lord Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 24th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on the number of volunteers in the charity sector, and what steps they are taking to support charities to recruit a sufficient number of volunteers.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con, DCMS): His Majesty’s Government recognises how vital volunteering is for society, reaping benefits for those who volunteer as well as the organisations they assist. The Government aims to remove barriers which prevent people from getting involved.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about strengthening overseas volunteering

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question regarding international development and volunteering on 12th July 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, over the next few days more than a 1,000 overseas Anglican bishops will be arriving here for the Lambeth Conference. There are hundreds of links of volunteers going to many of the areas of the world which we are deeply concerned about, including parts of the Horn of Africa where there is famine and locusts have had a devastating impact. People are coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Ebola is such a problem; these are people who are working on the ground. We already have many volunteer programmes of medics and others going in and out. Does the FCDO intend to meet some of those people who are coming here to see how we can strengthen other forms of volunteering, as well as some of the government schemes we have had in the past?

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Bishop of Newcastle praises local volunteers fighting poverty

Newcastle 8On the 21st February 2018 Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top led a short debate on the questionto ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote the importance of volunteering”. The Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt Revd Christine Hardman, spoke in the debate.

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, let me tell your Lordships about Benwell in the west end of Newcastle. It is one of the most deprived areas in the country, with 37% of children living in poverty. It is home to one of the largest food banks in the UK, which featured in the Ken Loach film, “I, Daniel Blake”.

In his film, Loach deliberately used the real-life food bank volunteers as extras. Kathy, committed volunteer and a reader in her church, featured in the film. Kathy volunteers at the food bank because she knows what it is like to be hungry. She volunteers at the citizens advice bureau because she knows how complicated the benefits system is. She volunteers in the local school because school was one of the few sources of hope in her own difficult childhood.

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Bishop of Portsmouth supports National Citizen Service Bill

portsmouth241016On 25th October 2016, the Government’s National Citizen Service Bill was debated at Second Reading in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, supported the Bill, and talked about the desirability of widening access to the National Citizen Service.

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth My Lords, I too welcome and support this Bill, not only because of the impact, actual and potential, on building the confidence and contribution of participants but also for its intention to both formalise and improve the accountability and functioning of the NCS. It may seem obvious for us to support a scheme with such clear aims to encourage young people to engage with their communities and take responsibility for their transformation, and one that claims some positive impact on community cohesion.
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Bishop of London asks Government to work with church schools on youth volunteering

Bp London 131015On 11th July 2016, Lord O’Shaughnessy asked the Government “what steps they are taking to promote long-term, full-time volunteering among young people.” The Bishop of London, the Rt Hon and Rt Revd Richard Chartres, asked a supplementary question:


The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, bearing in mind the more than 1 million young people—ethnically very diverse and from every part of the country—in Church of England schools, will the Minister authorise a direct conversation with the national society about the virtues of volunteering, with a view to joint action, a joint strategy and disseminating good practice? Continue reading “Bishop of London asks Government to work with church schools on youth volunteering”

Bishop of Derby asks Government about success of national civil service volunteering scheme

On 9th October 2013, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, received an answer to six written questions on the subject of the national civil service volunteering scheme.

DerbyThe Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many civil servants are participating in the national civil service volunteering scheme, broken down by region.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which government ministries and departments are participating in the national civil service volunteering scheme.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to measure the success or otherwise of the civil service volunteering scheme.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, if any, criteria they apply to placements offered as part of the civil service volunteering scheme.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the organisations participating in the civil service volunteering scheme are (1) voluntary groups, (2) community groups, and (3) social enterprise organisations.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the voluntary groups, community groups and social enterprise organisations participating in the civil service volunteering scheme have received government funding.

**

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government encourages all staff to undertake volunteering which can be of benefit to the local community but also allows civil servants to gain valuable insight and career skills. However, there is no formal national civil service volunteering scheme.

Due to the number of civil servants, and the amount who volunteer in their own time, it is not possible to know how many organisations which have worked with civil servants are voluntary groups, community groups or social enterprise organisations which have received government funding.

(via Parliament.uk)