Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of St Albans asks about NHS key targets

On 16th January 2024, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on plans to ensure NHS key targets are met, raising concerns regarding the length of ambulance response times:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have in place to ensure the National Health Service meets its key targets.

Lord Markham (Con, Department of Health & Social Care): The NHS has made progress against its targets, especially given the challenges of recovering from Covid-19, the changing demography and winter pressures. The Government recognise that there is still a way to go and are working non-stop to support the NHS to do better. I take this opportunity to thank all NHS staff for their hard work to improve performance this winter.

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Bishop of Durham asks about implementation of children’s charter

The Bishop of Durham tabled a question on whether the government plans to implement the recommendations of the Coram’s Charter for Children on 16th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Coram’s Charter for Children, and what steps they plan to take to implement its recommendations to create better chances for children.

Baroness Barran (Con, Department for Education): My Lords, we welcome the publication of Coram’s Charter for Children and are grateful for its work in supporting children, young people and families. All children need love and stability to be happy and to grow up capable of fulfilling their potential. The Government are committed to prioritising the needs of children, ensuring that their best interests are at the centre of policy- and decision-making.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about capacity of the UK armed forces

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on UK armed forces capacity on 15th January 2024, following a government statement on strikes on Houthi military facilities in Yemen:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am very reassured by much of what I have heard this evening, but I think there is a distinction between what is escalatory in intent and in effect. If the effect is escalation, how are the UK Government preparing or planning for a wider escalation? I am particularly concerned about the capacity of our Armed Forces. I am happy to be reassured, but often in this House we have questions about whether we have sufficient personnel, as well as equipment. Can the Minister give some assurance that we do have capacity, and that the implications of the 2023 integrated review might be revisited in the light of developments in the last few months?

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Bishop of Durham asks about methods to tackle poverty

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on local development to tackle poverty on 15th January 2024, during a discussion on government plans to promote the end of absolute poverty through global development aid:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, very helpfully, in the White Paper there was an emphasis on the importance of locally designed and led development for tackling absolute poverty, and there was a promise of a strategy for reaching that. What stage is it at, and when will that strategy be seen?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Paula Vennells

On 15th January 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Chris Loder MP (Con, West Dorset): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what role Paula Vennells had in advising the Commissioners after 2019; and which committees she attended.

Andrew Selous MP (Con, South West Bedfordshire): In the spring of 2019 the House of Bishops discussed why some of the recommendations of the Church Buildings Review, which was approved by the General Synod in November 2015, had not been implemented. Paula Vennells was subsequently asked by the Archbishops to undertake a lessons learnt review. During the course of the review its remit was expanded to look at the wider working together of the National Church Institutions (NCIs), including issues around organisational governance, leadership and culture. The report, ‘Church Buildings Review- Lessons Learnt’, was completed in October 2019 and Paula Vennells attended a meeting of the House of Bishops in December 2019 at which it was presented.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about plans to improve quality of housing in the UK

The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on government plans to improve the quality of existing housing in the UK on 11th January 2024, during a discussion on the government’s long term plan for housing:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community recommended that the Government adopt a long-term plan to address the scale of the housing crisis in the UK. I am glad to see that they have adopted the language of long-termism, as the UK’s housing has been held back by short-term planning and decision-making for far too long. However, I believe that such a plan must be holistic, taking into account all elements that make up a good housing strategy, with consideration of both new builds and existing buildings. What plans do the Government have to improve the quality of the homes that we already have, for example by undertaking a programme to upgrade EPC ratings, or by equalising the rate of VAT on repairs for existing houses with that for constructing new homes?

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about use of force by immigration authorities

The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question about appropriate monitoring of the use of force against those detained under immigration regulations, particularly children and vulnerable adults, during a discussion on the inquiry into conditions at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre on 11th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, the inquiry found that the inappropriate use of restraint and force on detained persons suffering from mental illness was common at Brook House, with healthcare staff unaware of their responsibilities to monitor the welfare of detained persons during use of restraint. Regardless of this information, the Illegal Migration Act allows for the use of force against even children across the detention estate. What steps will be taken to ensure that the use of force is continually monitored and recorded for all detainees, but particularly vulnerable adults and children, to ensure that what occurred at Brook House is never allowed to happen again?

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Church Commissioners Questions: Choral Music, Rough Sleeping, Multimedia Platforms, Church Buildings, Christians in Cuba, and the Anglican Hospital in Gaza

On 11th January 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following answers to MPs in the House of Commons:

Choral Music: Cathedrals

Michael Fabricant MP (Con, Lichfield) asked: Whether the Commissioners are taking steps to support choral music in cathedrals.

Andrew Selous MP (Con, South West Bedfordshire): The Church Commissioners provided £1 million to support music in cathedrals during the pandemic. That sum was match funded by the Cathedral Music Trust. The commissioners are extremely grateful to the trust for doing what it did to help ensure that worship in our cathedrals remains of the highest calibre.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about mental health support for those affected by Horizon Post Office scandal

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the availability of mental health and emotional support for the sub-postmasters, sub-postmistresses, and their families, affected by the consequences of the Horizon Post Office scandal, on 10th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, this awful situation highlights so many of our inadequacies in focusing our attention on the right things at the right time and within the right timescale. It is obviously far too early for restorative justice processes to be put in place, but could the Minister offer assurance that attention is being given to mental and emotional support, as well as financial, for all who have lived with the consequences of this injustice for so long?

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about provision of cots for families in social housing

The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on provision of cots for families in temporary and social housing on 10th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: May I say on behalf of these Benches, too, how pleased we are to see the noble Baroness back in her place. We know that cots are extremely important for the health and well-being of babies and young children. What is the Government’s policy on the provision of cots to those in social housing? The charity Justlife states that around 25% of temporary accommodation falls under the purview of the social housing regulator. With nearly 140,000 children living in temporary accommodation in England alone, what steps are being taken to ensure that cots are provided for families in temporary accommodation under the purview of the social housing regulator?

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