Questions – Page 128 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Gloucester asks about expanding Foods Standards Agency surveys

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 19th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of how much it would cost to expand the sample size for the Food Standards Agency’s Food and You 2 survey to a minimum of 10,000 households.

Lord Markham (Con): The Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimates that it would cost approximately an additional £400,000 per year to increase the sample size of the Food and You 2 survey from 4,000 households to 10,000.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about supported housing hosts for children in care

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 19th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government:

what steps they are taking to recruit more supported lodgings hosts to accommodate 16 and 17 year olds in care.
what support they are providing to local authorities (1) to establish new supported lodgings schemes, or (2) to expand existing schemes.

Baroness Barran (Con): The government believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality setting that meets their needs and keeps them safe. That is why the department is investing over £140 million to introduce mandatory national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers of supported accommodation for 16 and 17 year old looked after children and care leavers, including supported lodgings. Ofsted began registering providers on 28 April 2023, and registration will become mandatory from 28 October 2023.

Bishop of Bristol asks about conflict in Darfur and support for refugee communities

On 18th July 2023, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on ongoing conflict and violence in Darfur, and UK government support for Chad in caring for refugee communities fleeing the violence:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, as we have already heard from the noble Lord, Lord Alton, the situation in Darfur is dire, and I am grateful for this opportunity to be reminded of that. At least six towns and villages have been burned to the ground, alongside numerous cultural sites. We have heard a little about the effect on girls and women, and boys over fighting age are being shot. Understandably, many of the targeted Masalit ethnic group are fleeing to surrounding countries. We have heard about those going to South Sudan, but the vast majority are going to Chad. What steps will the Government take to provide Chad with support for the refugee crisis as a result?

Bishop of Bristol asks about impact of parental imprisonment on children

On 18th July 2023, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the effects of custodial sentences on dependent children of prisoners and the results of a pilot scheme taking this into account in magistrates courts:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, following the response given to my right reverend friend the Bishop of Gloucester on 15 December 2021 about pre-sentence reports, can the Minister say what impact the pilot in 15 magistrates’ courts has had on the take-up, taking into account the devastating impact of parental imprisonment, when sentencing a primary carer?

House of Lords debates role of religion in schools

On 17th July 2o23, the House of Lords debated a question asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on the recommendation by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child that the United Kingdom should prevent the use of religion as a selection criterion for school admissions in England. Church of England schools were discussed during the debate:

Baroness Burt of Solihull (LD): To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child’s recommendation that the United Kingdom should prevent the use of religion as a selection criterion for school admissions in England.

Baroness Barran (Con): My Lords, the UK is a proud signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, the Government support faith schools’ ability to set faith-based oversubscription criteria. This allows parents to have their children educated in line with their religious beliefs. Faith schools can give priority to applicants on the basis of faith only when they are oversubscribed. Where places are available, they must admit all children who apply.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about caring responsibilities and history of local authority care for prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:

following the introduction of the Basic Custody Screening Tool, how many (1) men, and (2) women, currently in custody have been assessed as having primary caring responsibilities; and how many children are affected by their imprisonment.
how many women in prison have been identified as having previously been in local authority care in each of the last five years.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about number of female prisoners in secure hospitals

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many women in prison were transferred to a secure hospital under provisions in the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years.

Lord Bellamy (Con): Please see below table showing the number of female prisoners who were transferred to a mental health hospital under Part 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 ¹in each of the last five years. This is in the context of a female prison population which stood at 3,253 as of June 2022:

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Finance, Repairs and Maintenance, Technology, Religious Freedom, Diocesan Vacancies, and Education

On 14th July 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Church of England: Finance

Julian Knight MP (Ind, Solihull): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to ensure transparency and accountability in its financial operations.

Bishop of Chichester asks about teacher training and development

The Bishop of Chichester asked a question on the future of training and development for teachers, and teachers’ experiences with Ofsted on 13th July 2023, during a debate on the level of teaching vacancies in the UK:

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, is the Minister willing to undertake to work with Ofsted to make inspection programmes and grading of schools a more positive experience for teachers? If teachers themselves are not flourishing, it is hard to see how they can encourage, inspire and develop our young people to flourish. The Church of England has developed its own centre for education development to help teachers develop their skills and knowledge in a range of areas—every area in the curriculum—and I commend its work to the Minister’s department.

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