parliamentaryunit

Bishop of St Albans asks about prevention of famine in Somalia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Somalia about the prevention of famine in that country; and what future engagements they have scheduled.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): In 2022 the collective efforts of humanitarian partners and donors, including the UK, averted famine in Somalia. Despite the reduced famine risk, humanitarian needs remain extraordinary.

Bishop of St Albans asks about conservation plans under Retained EU Law Bill

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what are their current plans for exercising powers to be granted to them under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Repeal) Bill in relation to the Habitats Directive.

Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling machines on UK military bases

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many gambling or gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK.

Baroness Goldie (Con): I can confirm that some gambling and gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK. Whilst I am unable to advise precisely how many there are as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, I would wish to provide reassurance that work is underway to understand the scale of problem gambling within the Armed Forces and to address it accordingly.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham asks about immigration detention under the proposed Illegal Migration Bill

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:

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

whether additional detention sites to detain those subject to the duty to remove under clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill will operate under the Detention Centre Rules 2001.
whether an individual subject to the duty to remove under clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill will be considered for release from detention if a rule 35 report is brought to the attention of the Home Office.
what guidance they follow in assessing whether a place of immigration detention is appropriate.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con): The Illegal Migration Bill creates new detention powers which will allow the Home Secretary to detain a person pending a decision as to whether they meet the four conditions and the new duty to remove applies, and thereafter to detain pending their removal.

All Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) must operate in compliance with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, this includes any additional sites that are opened as IRCs to increase detention capacity.

Bishop of St Albans asks about cases of whistleblowing in financial institutions and services

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many cases of whistleblowing were (1) reported, and (2) investigated, by the Financial Conduct Authority in (a) 2020 (b) 2021, (c) 2022, and (d) 2023.

Baroness Penn (Con): The FCA has reported and investigated the following number of whistleblowing cases for each year given:

Bishop of St Albans asks about immunocompromised individuals

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many clinically extremely vulnerable and immunocompromised people are living in the England.

Lord Markham (Con): During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable patients were advised to shield or take extra precautions. The success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme has meant that people who were part of this patient cohort are no longer at substantially greater risk than the general population and so are advised to follow the same guidance as everyone else on staying safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

Bishop of Durham asks about recent floods in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda; and what humanitarian and financial support they are providing in response.

Bishop of St Albans asks about bus services in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what alternative provisions they are making for individuals who live in areas affected by closures of rural bus routes.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con): Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 15 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether DRT can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.

Bishop of Exeter asks land use and diseases affecting trees

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answers on 5th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government how many acres of agricultural land which were previously being farmed were set aside for rewilding in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.

Lord Benyon (Con): The Government does not instruct farmers to ‘set aside’ land for rewilding. We are phasing out subsidies so that we can invest the money in policies that work for farm businesses, food production and the environment. We are co-designing our reforms with farmers and, as we said in the Agricultural Transition Plan, the intention of our environmental land management schemes is to be flexible and to provide more choice and control to farmers.

Bishop of Manchester asks for clarification on issues relating to the ministerial code

The Bishop of Manchester asked for clarification on the issue of justice being seen to be done regarding breaches of the ministerial code, on 25th May 2023. This was in response to a government statement on how breaches of the code are managed, and a question in the House of Lords on the need for independent investigatory processes following an incident involving a potential breach of the code by the Home Secretary:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am struggling here. It seems to be a basic principle that justice should not only be done but seen to be done. These processes seem so arcane and opaque that I wonder whether the noble Baroness can assure us how this process passes that test—or does it not apply to the Ministerial Code?

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