The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has reopened following three days of closure which left pilgrims and visitors praying in the square outside. The dispute was over a new tax policy and proposed land expropriation law.<\/p>
Officials from Church House and staff at Lambeth Palace were in regular contact with the Heads of Churches Group in the City of Jerusalem through Archbishop Suheil the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem as the events unfolded. On the 5th<\/sup> of March, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster wrote a joint letter to the Israeli Ambassador in the UK, to say that both Churches believed \u201cthe measures being pressed in Jerusalem and in the Knesset, were a clear and evident threat to the status quo and that this risked undermining prospects for peaceful coexistence between communities, at a time of already heightened tensions.\u201d Specifically, that, \u201cthe new policy would cause serious damage to the Christian presence in Jerusalem, to Christian families, and to the Christian institutions, including hospitals and schools, which serve many of the poorest people, regardless of their background.\u201d<\/p> The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Bishops Conference in England and Wales will continue to work closely together on issues relating to Israel and Palestine. Bishops from around the world make an annual joint visit to the Holy Land as part of the Holy Land Coordination Group. The Bishop of Southwark along with the Catholic Bishops will be hosting a meeting for all Members on the 15th<\/sup> May, 3-4pm in Committee Room 2A to discuss and feedback the findings of their visit.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England has had with the leaders of other Christian Churches on the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/855572/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The emergency services are to be commended for doing an excellent job in such difficult conditions.<\/p> <\/p> The Department does not have a policy on the use of winter tyres and snow chains. The decision on whether to fit them relates to local winter driving conditions, which will vary from region to region and different times. The emergency services are best placed to make a judgement on whether the use of these tyres and chains can enhance the safety of their staff and the effectiveness of the work they do.<\/p> <\/p> Snow chains are an option that is available for use in particularly challenging road conditions and while the emergency services may choose to make them available, it may fall to the driver to choose when to use them.<\/p> <\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is on the mandatory use of (a) snow tyres and (b) snow chains by the emergency services in severe winter weather.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4635", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Eddie Hughes"}
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