Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of St Albans asks about use of drug Vorasidenib to treat brain tumours

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 7th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of Vorasidenib for the treatment of brain tumours.

Lord Markham (Con, Department of Health & Social Care): In the United Kingdom, medicines need to have a licence before they can be marketed, and these are granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has not issued a scientific opinion for Vorasidenib. Should an application for Vorasidenib be received, the MHRA will consider this accordingly.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham asks about reinstation of asylum applications

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on time allowed for consideration of asylum requests, during a discussion on the asylum applications backlog on 6th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: Returning to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, how long does the Home Office consider a reasonable length of time for an asylum seeker to provide reasons and evidence as to why their asylum request should be reinstated after receiving a decision and the application is withdrawn? Will the Government publish statistics on the number of applicants reinstated?

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Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about training programmes for installation of carbon efficient heating

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked a question on training programmes for installers of home heating systems during a debate on the 2030 Emission Reductions Target on 5th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: I will be very brief. A crucial component of the decarbonisation of heat in homes agenda is to have enough skilled technicians and engineers to install the various heating solutions. Can the Minister update the House on the progress of creating the necessary training opportunities?

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Bishop of London asks about effects of cutting overseas development aid

On 5th September 2023, the Bishop of London asked a question on maternal mortality rates following cuts to overseas development aid:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, the impacts of cuts in aid have been and will continue to be significant. The equality impact assessment published by the International Development Committee revealed some of the effects, particularly on women. For example, the number of maternal deaths that will be averted by the women’s integrated sexual health programme will fall by more than half. In Afghanistan, the maternal mortality rate will worsen. How will the Government look to mitigate the impact of these cuts, particularly on women and girls?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about safeguards against data breaches

On 4th September 2023, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the safety and security of NHS data systems during a discussion on recent reports from the Electoral Commission regarding a data breach:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the stakes are very high when these data breaches take place, because they erode public confidence in allowing organisations to collect and use our private data. I am thinking in particular of the NHS, and its great reliance on data; if it can analyse and collect information, this could be of huge help in solving medical problems and curing diseases. To prevent these things in future, what is being done to ensure that the NHS computer system cannot be hacked and that people can have real confidence in it being allowed to collect their data?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about support for those suffering with dementia

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on improving support for those suffering with dementia on 4th September 2023, following a question on the Alzheimer’s Society report Improving access to a timely and accurate diagnosis in England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his answers on the diagnosis of dementia. Will he also outline what is being done to measurably improve the structures of support for those diagnosed with dementia, not least in the early stages, given the increasing social isolation that sufferers experience and the onerous costs they must often bear? This is increasingly evident in our parishes, in our wider communities, in the experience of clergy up and down the land and in my own diocese of Southwark.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about ongoing conflict in Sudan and South Sudan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much aid they have provided to South Sudan since the start of the conflict in that country earlier this year.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The 2018 Peace Agreement has prevented a return to large-scale national conflict in South Sudan, though there have been instances of sub-national violence this year. The Government of South Sudan need to ensure the Peace Agreement is implemented in full in order to bring justice and a lasting end to conflict to the people of South Sudan. The UK Government will provide £47 million of development assistance to South Sudan in the financial year (FY) 2023/24, and plans to increase this figure to £111 million in FY 2024/25. This assistance funds crucial health, education, humanitarian and peacebuilding work in South Sudan, as well as the placement of technical experts in both the ceasefire and Peace Agreement implementation monitoring mechanisms.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about data collection in criminal justice

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the pilot, launched in March 2021, with 15 magistrates’ courts, involving the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS and the probation service, of an alternative delivery model to increase the number of cases receiving pre-sentence reports.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about treatment of UK-based Hong-Kong activist Nathan Law and his family

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Hong Kong police raid on the family of the UK-based Hong Kong activist, Nathan Law, on 11 June; and what, if any, representations they have made to the government of Hong Kong regarding this incident.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about internally displaced people in Myanmar

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar following recent fighting which led to more than 1,000 Christians fleeing Nam San Yang in Kachin State.

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