parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Birmingham asks about impact of economic pandemic recovery

On 12th January 2021, the Bishop of Birmingham asked a question on the future impact of economic recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Lord Bishop of Birmingham [V]: I am grateful for the much-appreciated provisions made by the Chancellor so far in this extreme crisis and for his honesty in outlining the significant harm already caused to the economy by the pandemic. Will the Minister reassure the House that, following these emergency measures, many of which have been outlined just now, there are plans and policies already being formed for a recovery? Would he indicate some of the economic and social principles that the Government will be applying in leading the recovery? In addition to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Balfe, will the inevitable need to rebalance the public finances not unfairly burden the poorest?

Votes: Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill

On 11th January 2021, the House of Lords debated the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

Bishop of Manchester asks about risks of COVID-19 to the homeless

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the risks of COVID-19 and the need to prioritise vaccination of the homeless on 11th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester [V]: I thank the Minister for his replies to date and for his personal commitment to tackling homelessness in this country. He has already referred to the fact that many homeless people are at high risk of respiratory disease, including coronavirus. Will he encourage Her Majesty’s Government to prioritise the vaccination of all homeless people as a cohort, including those who do not fall neatly into one of the existing priority groups?

Bishop of Durham asks about universal credit and support for low income families

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 11th January 2021:

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

what key (1) economic, and (2) health, indicators they plan to use to inform their planned assessment of how best to support low-income families; and whether such any such assessment will include determining whether to make the £20 uplift to Universal Credit permanent.
what is the timeline for their assessment of (1) how best to support low-income families, and (2) whether to make the £20 uplift to Universal Credit permanent.

Bishop of Rochester speaks in debate on UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement

On 8th January 2021, the Bishop of Rochester took part in a debate on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, raising the difficulties faced by multinational families:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, I wish to address an issue which, despite all that is covered by the agreement, remains, at least in part, unresolved. It concerns the position of UK nationals living and/or working in the EU. I declare a personal interest which will become clear. I am indebted to the Bishop in Europe for briefing me on a range of situations which have a serious impact on UK nationals living in his diocese, which covers 25 out of 27 EU states plus the EEA and Switzerland.

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Charitable Donations, Church Commissioners Land, Religious Buildings, Planning Permission

On 8th January 2021 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Charitable Donations

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Con, The Cotswolds): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the potential merits of establishing an app to enable contactless donations to be given via a QR code in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.

Bishop of Durham asks about reducing rates of COVID-19 in schools

On 7th January 2021, the Bishop of Durham asked about methods of reducing rates of COVID-19 in schools, following a government statement on the impact of the pandemic on educational settings:

The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: I declare my interests as chair of the National Society. I thank the Minister for the Statement and the commitment on the delivery of laptops and 4G to children. Some schools are reporting over two-thirds attendance today, due to children of key workers and vulnerable children. This runs counter to the policy of children staying at home as much as possible and, as such, is seen by school staff as highly risky to them. I have been in touch with a number of them just this afternoon with regard to this. What proportion of school attendance do Her Majesty’s Government think is needed to reduce schools’ role as a virus vector, and what more can be done to enable more vulnerable children to learn from home where hardware and 4G are the issue?

Bishop of Rochester asks about engagement by faith communities in COVID-19 Pandemic response

The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on how faith communities might continue to address the needs of communities in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic on 7th January 2021, and spoke in a debate on the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation and Linked Households) (England) Regulations 2020:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, if any may have doubted the seriousness of the current situation, they had only to watch last night’s BBC report from University College Hospital, or to note that we are once again seeing multiple deaths in care home settings. Along with the Prime Minister’s Statement, it was announced that places of worship in England may remain open. I know that that has been welcomed by some faith communities, although others have already gone largely online. However, all such communities continue to engage with energy in acts of pastoral and community service. In the light of this, would the Leader of the House care to suggest what she and her colleagues would most wish to ask of our faith communities? What further might we offer? I believe that the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, may already have provided part of an answer.

Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on the costs of problem gambling to the taxpayer on 7th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost to taxpayers of problem gambling.

Baroness Barran (Con, DCMS): My Lords, Public Health England has undertaken a review of evidence on the public health harms relating to gambling and their social and economic burden. Publication has been delayed by Covid but is expected in the first part of this year. We have also launched our review of the Gambling Act. We are calling for evidence on how best to reduce harms and how we will recoup the cost to society.

Bishop of St Albans asks about impacts of gambling

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government further to the statement in Government Response to the House of Lords Gambling Industry Committee Report: Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry, published on 8 December:

that gambling advertising did not correlate to gambling participation among 11 to 24 year olds, what plans they have to undertake a review of the effects of gambling advertising on children as part of the Gambling Act Review.
how many gambling operators have been sanctioned due to breaches of rules committed by contracted affiliates.

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