On 7th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health and Care Bill in its report stage. Votes were held on amendments in which Bishops took part.
Votes: Health and Care Bill
Month: March 2022
Health and Care Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks in support of amendment to provide for a review on social prescribing
On 7th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health and Care Bill in the third day of the report stage. The Bishop of Durham, on behalf of the Lord Bishop of London, spoke in support of amendment 114, tabled by Lord Howarth of Newport, that would introduce a new clause on creative health into the bill:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I rise to speak to Amendment 114 in the absence of my right reverend friend the Bishop of London, who is having to self-isolate due to having tested positive for Covid—which seems to be a bit of a theme of the first two amendments.
Members of the House will know that my noble friend is very involved, and was very involved in Committee, in speaking about health inequalities. Today, we want to share and highlight the strength of social prescribing and especially the role of faith organisations in helping to deliver this. There is evidence from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing and the National Academy for Social Prescribing. But everyone who sits on these Benches would be able to tell you stories of where faith communities and local charities aid and assist with health improvements through activities which happen through them. Through cultural, creative, art, nature—all sorts of—interventions, people find health relief and are moved forward in improving their health.
Continue reading “Health and Care Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks in support of amendment to provide for a review on social prescribing”Bishop of Durham asks about listening to voices of refugees
The Bishop of Durham asked a question on how the government planned to incorporate refugee voices into creating a resettlement system on 7th March 2022, during a debate on the outcome of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in 2019:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, it was my privilege to speak at the resettlement conference that happened before the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in 2019. One of the key lessons that came out of both events was to listen to the voices of refugees in helping to create the system, so that it is more effective. Could the Minister tell us how the voices of refugees in this country are being listened to in order to make the Ukraine system as effective as possible?
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about listening to voices of refugees”Bishop of Durham asks about the cost of living
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 7th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are planning to take to address the high cost of living, even after the rate of inflation has reduced.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about the cost of living”Bishop of Durham asks about household support fund, cold weather and winter fuel payments
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 7th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many people have so far requested assistance from the Household Support Fund.
Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con): Any requests for assistance from Household Support Fund will have been directed to Local Authorities, who are running the schemes in their local area.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about household support fund, cold weather and winter fuel payments”Bishop of Durham asks about sanctions imposed on Burundi
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer to a question on 7th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to revisit the sanctions imposed on Burundi after the lifting of sanctions by the EU and United States of America.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): We note that the US Government revoked its Burundi sanctions regime in November 2021 and that in February 2022 the EU lifted its suspension on direct financial assistance to the Government of Burundi.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about sanctions imposed on Burundi”Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of cultural heritage in Armenian sites located in Azerbaijan
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the formation of the government of Azerbaijan’s working group to remove traces of Armenian heritage from Armenian churches.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK Government has and will continue to urge both parties to protect the cultural heritage of all sites in the region and are deeply concerned by reports that both parties have destroyed cultural heritage. We will continue to raise our concerns with the respective governments and urge them to allow UNESCO unrestricted access to the region.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of cultural heritage in Armenian sites located in Azerbaijan”Bishop of Durham asks about human rights in Burundi
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 4th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the current level of human rights protection in Burundi.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): The UK Government welcomes steps taken by the Government of Burundi over the past 18 months, which demonstrate greater commitment to human rights including prisoner releases and engagement with some media outlets.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about human rights in Burundi”Votes: Health and Care Bill 2022
On 3rd March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health and Care Bill in the second day of the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Bishop of Leeds asks about environmental consequences of increased use of lithium ion batteries
The Bishop of Leeds asked a question about plans for disposal of lithium ion batteries as more of them come to be used in e-bikes and scooters, during a debate on safety standards on 3rd March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, however these things are regulated, we are building up a massive resource of batteries that one day will have to be disposed of, with the environmental risks that they bring as well. What assessment have the Government made of how in the long term we will deal with what could before too long become a problem?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about environmental consequences of increased use of lithium ion batteries”
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