Month: October 2023

Bishop of Southwark asks about shooting of Palestinian Ameed al-Jaghoub by Israeli security forces

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel in relation to the use of force in the death of Mr Ameed al-Jaghoub on 21 August.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): Our sympathies are with Ameed al-Jaghoub and his family. While we have not discussed this specific incident with the Israeli Government, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and Gaza is too high.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for regenerative agriculture and funding for local communities

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support regenerative agriculture.

Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): Environmental land management (ELM) is the foundation of our new approach to farming. ELM includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). This pays farmers for actions that support food production and can help improve farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and improving the environment. It will support sustainable food production and contribute towards the environmental targets set out in the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. The SFI 2023 opened for applications on 18 September 2023, and farmers who have a live SFI 2023 agreement before the end of the year will receive an accelerated payment in the first month of their agreement.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about family courts

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked when they expect to publish a response to the report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner The Family Court and domestic abuse: achieving cultural change, published on 17 July.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about accessible housing

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that new builds are accessible to older people and people with disabilities.

Baroness Swinburne (Con, Department for Levelling-up, Housing & Communities): I refer the Lord Bishop to the answer given to Question UIN HL8422(opens in a new tab) on 26 June 2023.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham asks about employment and living wage

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of people employed in insecure work; and what steps they are taking to ensure that more employees have secure work.

The Earl of Minto (Con, Treasury): The Government has taken a range of steps to support people in insecure work. We have supported six Private Members’ Bills in this Parliamentary session, which will give benefits including easier access to flexible working and a more predictable working pattern.

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Bishop of Oxford asks about Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation

The Bishop of Oxford received the following written answer on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford asked His Majesty’s Government:

  •  what is the current status of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.
  • what future plans there are for the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.
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Bishop of Durham asks about educational attainment for children in the social care system

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • further to the Action for Children’s report, The Educational Outcomes of Children Referred to Children’s Social Care: A Revolving Doors Report, published on 22 August, and data from the annual children in need census, what assessment they have made of the gap in educational attainment between children who have interacted with the children’s social care system, and their peers who have not.
  • what steps they are taking to improve the educational attainment and GCSE results of children who interact with the children’s social care system.
  • what steps they are taking, beyond the school gates, to provide support to children who have interacted with the children’s social care system.
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Bishop of Durham asks about unaccompanied asylum seeking children

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government whether, in the instance a child is found after going missing from Home Office accommodation, they are initially returned to hotel accommodation or the care of the local authority.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): When a missing child is found, a referral to the local authority is made with a clear expectation that they are taken into local authority care.

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Bishop of Durham asks about regulations affecting refugees and asylum seekers

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked  His Majesty’s Government from what date asylum applications were first treated as withdrawn on the basis that the claimant failed to report or to inform the Home Office of a change of address.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): We do not currently publish data on the date asylum claims were first treated as withdrawn on the basis that the claimant failed to report or to inform the Home Office of a change of address. However, official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data.

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Bishop of Sheffield raises potential of a national covenant for social care

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on a Report from the Adult Social Care Committee on 16th October 2023, referencing the Archbishop’s Commission on reimagining care and the founding of a national care covenant:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I start by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Andrews, and to all the members of the Adult Social Care Committee for the excellent report they produced last year, full of thoroughly perceptive and practical recommendations to government and speaking to the longing we all have to live a life of joy, fulfilment and purpose. The committee undertook its work in precisely the same period as the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care and it is heartening to see the considerable amount of overlap in the values proposed and the conclusions reached. Both contribute to the growing consensus that we cannot any longer tinker around the edges of the existing system. We must reset and reimagine the way that social care is understood, organised and delivered.

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