parliamentaryunit

Bishop of St Albans asks about access to healthy food for children in low income households

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on access to healthy food for children in low income households on 13th July 2021, following a question on support for people receiving universal credit:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am saddened to hear about the phasing out of the £20 uplift in universal credit. Her Majesty’s Government have made a very positive step towards tackling childhood obesity with plans to ban junk food adverts before 9 pm but there is a clear link between poverty and obesity, particularly where financial constraints make cheap, high-calorie food more affordable than healthy alternatives. How then do the Government aim to improve access to healthy food for those on universal credit?

Bishop of Worcester asks about conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia

The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answers on 13th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that soldiers from Eritrea are using food as a weapon of war in Tigray.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The Government is deeply concerned about the grave humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and combatants, including Eritrean armed forces, denying access to humanitarian agencies.

Bishop of St Albans asks about fraudulent marriage certificates

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 13th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the black market for counterfeit marriage certificates following the changes to marriage certification.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): Marriage certificates are secure stock which contain a number of security features that help to prevent and detect counterfeits. Controls are in place to identify and investigate any unusual activity.

Bishop of Durham asks about EU settlement scheme

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 13th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether European Economic Area nationals who apply late to the EU Settlement Scheme will be permitted to have the right to work and rent while their applications are pending.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): From 1 July, right to work and right to rent checks will change and EEA citizens will be required to demonstrate eligibility through evidence of their immigration status, rather than their nationality.

Environment Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on sustainable forestry

On 12th July 2021, the House of Lords debated the Environment Bill in the seventh day of the committee stage. The Bishop of Manchester spoke in the debate, expressing his support for amendments focused on sustainable forestry:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, it is a particular pleasure to speak in the same debate as the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, from whose wisdom, when I was a very young bishop some 20 years ago, I learned a great deal. I also an honour to follow the noble Earl, Lord Caithness, who has reminded us, powerfully, of the crucial role that commercial forestry and good moorland management should be enabled to play. Hence, I draw your Lordships’ attention to my interests as set out in the register, specifically my deputy chairmanship of the Church Commissioners, which the noble and right reverend Lord famously once took to court. We are one of the foremost owners of sustainable commercial forestry in the UK and beyond.

Bishop of Chichester asks about safety of e-scooters

The Bishop of Chichester asked a question on the safety of e-scooters on 12th July 2021, during a discussion on tackling illegal riding of the scooters:

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, e-scooters represent one of the dangers to cyclists in ever-increasing number using the cycle lanes. Will the Minister consequently ensure that consideration of a ban of e-scooters might include consideration of a cycle lane code, like the Highway Code, for greater safety of users?

Bishop of Leeds asks about freedom of religion in Pakistan

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 12th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of freedom of (1) religion, and (2) belief, in Pakistan; and what is their strategy for supporting those freedoms in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Pakistan is one of the FCDO’s human rights priority countries and protecting FoRB is an integral part of our engagement on human rights in Pakistan. The UK Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.

Bishop of St Albans welcomes commonwealth trade agreements

The Bishop of St Albans took part in a debate on new commonwealth trade agreements on 8th July 2021, welcoming the agreements and urging they be used as a force for positive social consequences:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I welcome Her Majesty’s Government’s intent to strengthen ties with the Commonwealth as we transition to our new reality outside the European Union. When we entered the European Common Market, we severed many tight economic ties with some of our Commonwealth partners. It is because of that that I am particularly pleased at the announcement of the economic partnership agreement with CARIFORUM, which covers many countries with whom we continue to share a head of state.

My diocese is linked with the Windward Islands, and we are glad to have a large community of Vincentians living in Luton. They have told me of the extraordinary economic disruption that occurred to them when we joined the EEC. Although many of these Commonwealth realm territories contained within the CARIFORUM agreement are small in GDP terms, there is a symbolic importance to this agreement, and I hope it will be a platform to further invest and engage culturally with these territories to strengthen our existing ties.

Bishop of Leeds asks about impact of cuts to overseas aid on freedom of religion and belief

During a debate on freedom of religion and belief internationally following an APPG report, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the impact cuts to overseas aid would have on countries such as Nigeria:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: I thank the Minister for the priority he gives to freedom of religion or belief, but Her Majesty’s Government are reducing aid to many countries and regions prone to serious freedom of religion or belief violations, including an apparent 58% cut in ODA to Nigeria while the country faces immense challenges due to a surge in religious-based violence. Will the Minister describe the anticipated impacts of these aid cuts on violence and stability in Nigeria and indicate how any such impacts might be mitigated?

Church Commissioners Written Questions: COVID-19, Vaccinations

On 8th July 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Selaine Saxby MP (Con, North Devon): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of (a) the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on church parishes and (b) the support that dioceses will require to (i) recover and (ii) ease the legal and administrative burdens experienced by those parishes as a result of that outbreak.

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