the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, we on these Benches associate ourselves with the Minister's condolences. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Royal Army Chaplains Department, whose ministry is so appreciated by the bereaved and injured, and, indeed, to the chaplains of all our services. I declare an interest as a former pupil of the Duke of York's Royal Military School, which still serves the needs of...
the Bishop of Liverpool: Is the Minister aware that there are those who believe in the big society concept and who also understand the need for fiscal responsibility, but who nevertheless believe that there is an unevenness in the distribution of finances across the country and in particular the financial settlement with local authorities? Will the Minister be prepared to look again at the financial settlement to...
the Bishop of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review prisoner transfer agreements.
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his Answer. Will he look into the case of Steven Willcox who, on transfer from Thailand, is having to serve a 29-year fixed sentence for possession of a small amount of drugs, when a number of other transferred prisoners on much more serious charges are released much sooner? Will he also look into the disparity of treatment between those transferred...
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I declare an interest as a trustee of the National Museums Liverpool. Is the Minister aware of the assessment that the £20 million that the Government spent on museums in Liverpool generated £120 million in the local economy? Will Her Majesty's Government take this into account in their spending plans?
the Bishop of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, when taking the Youth Justice Board into the Ministry of Justice, they will ensure that there remains a distinct focus on youth justice separate from the adult system.
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his Answer and for the Green Paper. He will know that in the past two years of the Youth Justice Board's operation there has been a reduction of some 27 per cent in the use of custody for young offenders. How will this strategy be taken forward in the Ministry of Justice, especially in the light of the decentralising emphasis of the Green Paper?
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, is the Minister aware that many of the beneficiaries of the World Bank feel that the leadership of both the World Bank and the IMF are out of touch with the complexity of the issues facing the developing world, especially when it comes to land rights?
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, it is estimated that only 4 per cent of women prisoners need to be in prison for the public's protection. Can the Minister confirm that figure?
the Bishop of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they will table at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun.
the Bishop of Liverpool: I thank the Minister for that encouraging Answer. At Copenhagen there was an international agreement to set up a fund to assist the developing countries to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate. Can the Minister confirm that Her Majesty's Government will honour that commitment? If so, will they at Cancun encourage other nations not to renege on their commitments?
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I gather that in-cell sanitation is covered by Prison Service Order 1900. Whose responsibility is it to oversee the application of Prison Service orders and this one in particular? What power does the independent monitoring board have in relation to NOMS to make sure that these observations are acted on?
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I was very pleased to be in the audience for the Prime Minister's speech on the big society in Liverpool on Monday and I welcome the emphasis on the renewal of civil society. Many of the Ministers at that meeting referred to DCLG officials being available to community members in order to help create civil society. Can the Minister advise the House on whether these officials will be...
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I declare an interest as Bishop to Prisons in England and Wales. We have had many debates in this House, and many questions, about the criminal justice system. This debate is timely and we on these Benches are grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, for initiating it. We also very much look forward to the contributions of the noble Baroness, Lady Hussein-Ece, and the noble Lord,...
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, is the Minister aware of the number of Somali communities in this country, and will the Department for Communities and Local Government look at what the impact of these events will be on those communities?
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, perhaps I may say how delighted I am to be the prelude to the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, and how much we look forward to his contributions to the House and admire the alacrity with which he has engaged with the business of the House today. The noble Viscount, Lord Montgomery, is famous for his championing of Latin America, and today is an opportunity for us to...
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I declare an interest in that the Church of England is a provider of sessional chaplains in the National Health Service. Given the importance of chaplains to the well-being and recovery of patients and given the value of their work with staff, especially those under stress, will the Minister encourage NHS trust hospitals to resist reducing those services?
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, whatever reasons lie behind the scheduling of today's debate, it is fitting that in these Houses of Parliament, while the other place is wrestling with the state of our finances and debating the Budget, this House should be addressing the millennium development goals. Whatever our straitened economic circumstances, in the context of the global picture and the parable of Dives and...
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, as a supporter of academies, I very much encourage the Government to accept the spirit of these amendments. I have been involved with three academies. I chaired the first and co-chaired the second. The first academy arose from community consultation. When there was anxiety in the community over the other two, there was consultation which allayed people's fears. I put it to the...
the Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, I declare an interest in that the diocese of Liverpool is a co-sponsor with the Catholic arch-diocese of three academies, as the noble Lord, Lord Adonis, mentioned. We have already seen remarkable progress being made in our first academy situated in an area of great deprivation. Within four years, the Academy of St Francis of Assisi has gone from 27 per cent to 66 per cent of its...