Author: parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Gloucester asks about role of churches and faith communities in rebuilding social capital post-pandemic

On 25th January 2021, the Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the role of faith communities and churches in helping to rebuild social and spiritual capital in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: Churches and other faith communities bring together a diversity of people across all ages and backgrounds, and thus are often a strong source of social capital, as well as spiritual capital, as we have seen during the pandemic. Will the Minister say what Her Majesty’s Government are doing, both financially and in other ways, to enable local and faith communities to invest in and rebuild their social capital, as we emerge from this pandemic?

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Church Commissioners Questions: Clergy Discipline

On 25th January 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Rachael Maskell (Lab, York Central): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on the review of the Clergy Discipline Measure.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on British Nationals Overseas

On 25th January 2021, the Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the potential impact of the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic on the processing of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa applications; and what steps they are taking to address any such impact.

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Bishop of Winchester asks about publication of Further Education White Paper

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 25th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the Further Education White Paper.

Baroness Berridge (Con, DfE): We published the White Paper Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth on 21 January 2021.

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Bishop of Portsmouth takes part in debate on tax justice

The Bishop of Portsmouth spoke in a debate on tax justice on 21st January 2021, pointing out issues in the interaction of national insurance and income tax and the need for the government to address inequalities in the tax system:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, I am delighted that my good friend and close colleague the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans secured this debate. I congratulate him on bringing these reports from Church Action for Tax Justice to wider attention. I urge the Government to assess and act on them.

I particularly endorse the right reverend Prelate’s drawing attention to the often pernicious interaction of income tax and national insurance so-called contributions. The reality is that such “contributions” are no such thing. These are two direct tax systems working alongside each other, but crucially not together, and often unfairly. This is exacerbated when the impact of other taxes, such as council tax, is factored in.

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Bishop of St Albans chairs debate on tax justice

On 21st January 2021, the Bishop of St Albans chaired a debate on a reports by Church Action for Tax Justice:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reports by Church Action for Tax Justice (1) Tax for the Common Good, published in February 2019, and (2) Fair Tax Now, published on 4 January 2021.

My Lords, I thank all those speaking in this evening’s debate. I am no expert on tax, but it does not take an expert to see that there are some deeply entrenched tax inequalities. This 2019 report by Church Action for Tax Justice, and its 2021 report, Fair Tax Now, are more relevant than ever, not least with the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic being felt in all parts of society, and with Her Majesty’s Government’s commitment to “levelling up”.

The proposals laid out by Church Action for Tax Justice seek not to harm wealth generation, but to level the playing field and facilitate a fairer tax system that ensures that those with the deepest pockets do their duty to the societies that provided the context in which they were able to amass their wealth. This is a vast topic, so I will make a couple of preliminary comments and then suggest four of the most important areas that must be addressed.

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Bishop of Portsmouth speaks in debate on role of the armed forces in “Global Britain”

The Bishop of Portsmouth spoke during a debate on the role of the UK armed forces in the government’s Global Britain agenda, raising the issue of the Armed Forces Covenant and the need to support the wellbeing and mental health of members of the armed forces and armed forces veterans:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, if the Armed Forces are to continue to promote global Britain, we must look after them and fulfil our obligations under the Armed Forces covenant. Research by the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland points to the difficulties that veterans are encountering in getting benefits assessors to understand post-traumatic stress disorder when scoring health assessments for disability benefits. One stated that:

“I supplied a consultant psychiatrist’s letter stating all my mental health conditions. I scored zero. This is laughable”.

I agree. A government spokesman has said that the report would be given careful consideration, but consideration must be given both carefully and urgently if we are to continue to promote global Britain.

Hansard

Archbishop of Canterbury asks about challenges facing global vaccine distribution

The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke during a discussion on global access to COVID-19 vaccinations on 21st January 2021, asking how the government planned to tackle issues facing vaccine distribution:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, we must welcome warmly the exceptional moral leadership in this remarkable donation to the COVAX programme, which I think is the largest of any country. However, in order to make the money work, and to follow up what the British ambassador, Julian Braithwaite, said at the WHO, we need a global vaccination campaign if we are to overcome this global pandemic. There are three particular obstructions to overcome. One relates to the use of surplus supplies of vaccine; for example, Canada has ordered more than five times what it needs for its population. The second is misinformation, mythical dangers or false stories being deliberately spread about the vaccines. Thirdly, in many parts of the countries that will need the vaccine, there are immense logistical difficulties in distributing it. To make the most of the financial leadership we have set and given our expertise, experience and success in the rollout in this country, what will the Government do to validate that gift by overcoming these three challenges?

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Bishop of Coventry asks about UN Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The Bishop of Coventry tabled a question on the UK government’s view on the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 21st January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about costs of treating gambling addiction for the NHS

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the cost of gambling addiction to the NHS in each of the last five years; and (2) the likely cost in each of the next five years.

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