parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Hereford asks about food security

On 2nd December 2024, the Bishop of Hereford tabled a question on government steps to improve food security:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve food security.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab, DEFRA): My Lords, the Labour Government have committed £5 billion to the agricultural budget over the next two years, which is the biggest budget for sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our history. The uplift to £1.8 billion, in 2025-26, for environmental land management schemes will boost food security and accelerate the transition to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. We are also investing £60 million to support farmers who were affected by the unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter.

Bishop of London asks about community consultation on NHS 10 year plan:

On 2nd December 2024, the Bishop of London tabled a question on community consultation on the NHS 10 Year Plan, and efforts to ensure the consultation reaches those who have least interaction with the health service

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the consultation for the NHS 10 Year Plan reaches all communities, including those who have least interaction with the health service.

Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling regulation

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the calls in The Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling, published on 24 October, for stronger policy and regulatory controls for gambling.

Bishop of Derby asks about combatting bullying in schools

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 2nd November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government, as part of Anti-Bullying Week, what steps they are taking (1) to collect, record and monitor data on reports of bullying in schools and subsequent responses, and (2) to improve the availability and quality of anti-bullying training and support for teachers.

Bishop of St Albans asks about arts provision

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of introducing an arts premium to allow for schools to pay for arts opportunities such as music lessons, as recommended in the report by the Sutton Trust, A class Act: Social mobility and the creative industries, published on 13 November.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about international debt and development

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Official Development Assistance budget for 2025–26 is spent on development overseas rather than on in-donor refugee support expenses.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about supported lodgings provision

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation in the report The Voices of Supported Lodgings: Strong foundations for our future, published by Homes for Good and Safe Families on 16 October, that the Government should introduce a ‘supported lodgings lead’ within every regional care co-operative with responsibility for supported lodgings provision.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about educational attainment gap

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published on 23 January, that of all entrants into first class undergraduate degrees in 2021–22, “just one per cent had a parent who was long-term unemployed or had never worked”; and what steps they are taking to reduce this educational attainment gap.

Bishop of Oxford supports ban on smartphones in schools

The Bishop of Oxford spoke in a debate on proposals to ban the use of smartphones in schools on 28th November 2024, raising examples of the impact of phone use in schools on behaviour, concentration and mental health:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, it is an honour to take part in this debate. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, on her excellent introduction. I too look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Cass.

The diocese of Oxford, where I serve, has 285 church schools. We share in the education of over 60,000 children through these schools and the network of multi-academy trusts. There is a broad consensus on the importance of this issue and in favour of smartphone-free schools. However, there is not yet a final consensus on the next steps to be taken to bring this about. The consensus arises from our commitment to follow the Christian values of wisdom, respect, community and hope in all our schools.

Bishop of Winchester asks about mental health support for detained asylum seekers

On 28th November 2024, the Bishop of Winchester asked a question on the provision of mental health support for asylum seekers housed at the former MOD site in Wethersfield

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, reports by Doctors of the World and Médecins Sans Frontières speak of the high levels of psychological distress experienced by many of the residents who are accommodated at Wethersfield, and this is corroborated by those from the diocese of Chelmsford volunteering on site. Can the Minister say what access there is to therapeutic mental health support on site, especially for those suffering from complex conditions such as PTSD?

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