Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask 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.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Scheme for 2025 to 2026 will close on 31st March 2026 or once the £23 million budget has been reached, whichever is earlier. In order to ensure the scheme is available to as many listed places of worship as possible, within this context, we do not feel it is appropriate to reassess the cap for this financial year.
As announced on 22 January, from April 2026, the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will introduce to a more targeted model aimed at places of worship in areas of greatest need, ensuring that every pound of taxpayers' money is leveraged to secure the future of our heritage while supporting the government's wider missions for national renewal and community cohesion.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask 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 non-governmental organisations to deliver humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement I made to the House on 7 January.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government 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.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement I made to the House on 7 January.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask 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.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Lord Bishop to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 17 November in response to Question 89462, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The UK is monitoring the situation between the Armenian Government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. We expect all actions to comply with Armenia's constitutional and legal framework, allowing due process to take its course and ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law, with judicial proceedings remaining transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide.
Ministers and officials have regularly discussed a range of issues with our Armenian counterparts.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering using the underspend in the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to lift the cap on individual claims in the second half of the 2025–26 financial year.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government has allocated up to £23 million to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in 2025/26. This year’s scheme will end on 31 March 2026 or when the budget is exhausted, whichever is the sooner.
Applications can be made throughout the year and are paid on a weekly basis. In order to help applicants plan, we publish an online tracker showing remaining funding. This indicates remaining budget and is not an underspend. We typically see an upsurge in claims towards the end of the financial year.
Altering the scheme's established criteria during the course of the financial year would not be fair on those organisations whose claims have already been paid, or on those who intend to claim later in the year and may find budget unavailable. We do not have plans to amend or remove the cap.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will recognise the new government of Syria, and what plans they have to help the new government to secure a fair and just administration of Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Foreign Secretary visited Damascus on 5 July to renew UK-Syria relations and reiterate UK support to the Syrian Government as it seeks to rebuild the economy and deliver an inclusive political transition. We welcome the progress made, including representative appointments to the Cabinet, a commitment to free and fair elections, and provisions on freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief in the Constitutional Declaration. We will continue to work with the Syrian Government to ensure the political transition proceeds in a genuinely inclusive way and protects the rights of all Syrians, regardless of religious or ethnic background.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the suicide bombing at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias on 22 June, what support they have given to the new government of Syria to help to protect the Christian population against attack.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK strongly condemns the horrific terrorist attack at Mar Elias Church in Damascus, and remains committed to combatting terrorism in all forms. The Foreign Secretary expressed his condolences, and the UK's continued support to the people of Syria, to President Al-Sharaa during his visit to Damascus on 5 July. We have consistently underlined the importance of protecting all civilians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government. The Foreign Secretary raised this most recently during his visit to Damascus. We will continue to advocate for the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all Syrians.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of arrests made in the Republic of Armenia of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan; and the impact the arrests may have on freedom of religion in Armenia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is monitoring the recent arrests of opposition figures in Armenia, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. It is important that due process is allowed to take its course, ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law and that judicial proceedings remain transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief globally.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the BBC World Service on (1) global projection of the UK, and (2) global access to news reporting.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government highly values the BBC World Service and its role promoting the national interest, supporting our security and reflecting our culture and values to the world. According to a 2025 survey conducted for the BBC by the independent polling company, Tapestry, the BBC is a leader in driving favourable impressions of the UK and is the country's most recognised cultural export internationally. BBC users around the world are more likely to invest in the UK than non-users (73 per cent of BBC users intend to invest in the UK in the future compared with 51 per cent of non-users).
The World Service provides impartial, accurate news to a global audience of 320 million, 73 per cent in countries with low/no media freedom. For example: Iran (13.5 million weekly reach), Russia, (2.24 million weekly reach) and Afghanistan (4.9 million weekly reach). It remains the world's most trusted international news service.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to curb the sale of looted antiquities from Syria on the international market.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to preventing the sale of looted antiquities. Through our International Cultural Heritage Protection programme, we work closely with international partners, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), Blue Shield International and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on projects to prevent the trafficking and sale of looted antiquities, including those from Syria.
We have a range of provisions in international and domestic UK law, including criminal offences, to protect cultural objects from unlawful removal and illicit trade. UK authorities work with the UK art market and online selling platforms, such as eBay, to combat the sale of stolen and looted cultural objects. The Government encourages anyone who believes that a cultural object has been stolen or looted to raise it with the appropriate authorities.