Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Durham asks about support for building societies

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on support for local building societies on 27th April 2023, during a debate on bank closures:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: In my local town of Bishop Auckland, Newcastle Building Society and Darlington Building Society have moved on to the high street as banks have moved off it. Will the Minister commend building societies for their commitment to local communities and to making things accessible to them, and will she encourage further work on that?

Baroness Penn (Con, Treasury): I absolutely commend building societies and all businesses that have a commitment to local communities and are thinking about how they can make their services as accessible as possible. There are many different routes to ensuring accessibility. We should focus on the outcome for the customer and embrace the different routes that this can be delivered by.

Hansard

Church Commissioner Questions: Holy Land, Nigeria, Local Authority Grants, Parish Ministry, Trees, Coronation

On 28th April 2023 MPs asked questions of Andrew Selous MP, Second Church Estates Commissioner.

Holy Land: Desecration of Religious Sites

Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con)

1. What discussions the Church of England has had with international counterparts on the desecration of religious sites in the Holy Land. (904699)

Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)

4. What discussions the Church of England has had with international counterparts on the desecration of religious sites in the Holy Land. (904702)

The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Andrew Selous): In the first three months of this year, seven cases of serious vandalism and antisocial behaviour against churches have been recorded in Israel. That is a sharp increase on the previous year. The Church of England continues to work with the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, the heads of other Churches, other faith leaders and the Jordanian Government, as custodian of the holy sites, to maintain the peace.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about management of the UK asylum system

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answers on 27th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost of using and converting (1) RAF Scampton, (2) MDP Wethersfield, (3) the Northeye site, and (4) the Bibby Stockholm barge for asylum-seeker accommodation; and what assessment they have made of the value of the contracts to the agencies managing these sites.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): The United Kingdom has a legal obligation to provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation and other support whilst their claim for asylum is being considered.

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Bishop of Durham asks about conflict in Sudan

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on support for churches in Sudan and their parishioners on 26th April 2023, following outbreaks of violence in the country:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, the Minister may be aware that two dioceses in this country, Salisbury and Leeds, have strong links with Sudan and South Sudan. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leeds has regular contact, particularly with the Primate in Sudan. The people in those two dioceses absolutely understand the total focus on bringing British citizens out but they are also concerned for the Sudanese on the ground, particularly those in the churches; the Church there is quite fragile and relies quite a lot on the support that comes from western diplomats, and so forth. They are asking what they can do to support their Sudanese friends in churches and in other communities who are not going to be rescued. There may not be an immediate answer, but perhaps the Minister would consider what advice might be given to people who want to support the Sudanese in the coming weeks and months.

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Archbishop of York asks about access to arts education

The Lord Archbishop of York: My question is about the variability of access. I think we all recognise that the statistics quoted are going the wrong way. What we observe particularly is that it is far worse in some parts of the country than others. That is something I particularly observe in the north, where I serve. The DCMS Committee’s report last year spoke about how the creative industries themselves are saying that there is a shortage of the skills that we need. What is being done about this and, particularly, how do we know about the situation? In about 2014, Ofsted changed the way its inspections investigated the arts. For instance, dance was looked at as part of PE. Does the Minister think that this lack of joined-up thinking has had an impact on where we are now and, in particular, on the way that some parts of the country are suffering much more than others?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about threats to underseas infrastructure

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on communication with global allies regarding threats to undersea infrastructure on 25th April 2023, referencing recent events in Taiwan:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I was interested to hear the Minister commenting on our engagement with our European allies. However, with reports recently that submarine cables connecting the Taiwanese mainland with the island of Matsu have been cut by Chinese boats, this is an international problem. What consultations are we having with allies around the world; in particular, so that we can try to develop back-up systems when countries are put under threat by this sort of action?

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Bishop of London asks about financial support for those suffering from long Covid

The Bishop of London asked a question on access to PIP and other financial support for those suffering from long Covid and unable to work on 25th April 2023:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, the advice of the DWP and DHSC is that, if those impacted by long Covid are unable to work, they will be able to access financial assistance through schemes such as PIP. However, in practice, as the noble Baroness said, there is a lack of recognition of long Covid among GPs and PIP assessors. What steps are the Government taking to make sure that more long Covid sufferers are identified and able to access financial support?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about infrastructure grant paid to farmers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much was paid to farmers through the Slurry Infrastructure grant in 2022.

Lord Benyon (Con): To date no payments are due under the Slurry Infrastructure Grant. The Rural Payments Agency has been assessing approximately 1,300 expressions of interest and will be inviting those applicants in the highest priority areas to submit a full application by the deadline of 24 June 2024. Once work has been completed claims will be submitted and payments issued.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about government meetings with representatives from the gambling industry

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th April 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what meetings (1) ministers, and (2) senior officials, at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have had with representatives from the gambling industry in the past six months.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con): Ministers and officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet a range of people and organisations with an interest in gambling, including industry and charity representatives, to hear their views on the sector and to discuss areas of concern. All ministerial meetings are published on GOV.UK and can be accessed on that website.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about financial literacy in schools

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on government efforts to promote financial literacy in schools on 20th April 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote financial literacy in schools.

Baroness Barran (Con): My Lords, we work closely with the Money and Pensions Service and the Treasury to support the effective teaching of financial education in schools. The Money and Pensions Service has published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools and we will deliver webinars for schools in due course. Our national network of 40 maths hubs also supports schools to improve their mathematics teaching, including financial content in the mathematics curriculum, based on best practice from east Asia.

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