Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda; and what humanitarian and financial support they are providing in response.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about recent floods in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what alternative provisions they are making for individuals who live in areas affected by closures of rural bus routes.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con): Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 15 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether DRT can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about bus services in rural areas”The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answers on 5th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government how many acres of agricultural land which were previously being farmed were set aside for rewilding in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.
Lord Benyon (Con): The Government does not instruct farmers to ‘set aside’ land for rewilding. We are phasing out subsidies so that we can invest the money in policies that work for farm businesses, food production and the environment. We are co-designing our reforms with farmers and, as we said in the Agricultural Transition Plan, the intention of our environmental land management schemes is to be flexible and to provide more choice and control to farmers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about land use and diseases affecting trees”The Bishop of Manchester asked for clarification on the issue of justice being seen to be done regarding breaches of the ministerial code, on 25th May 2023. This was in response to a government statement on how breaches of the code are managed, and a question in the House of Lords on the need for independent investigatory processes following an incident involving a potential breach of the code by the Home Secretary:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am struggling here. It seems to be a basic principle that justice should not only be done but seen to be done. These processes seem so arcane and opaque that I wonder whether the noble Baroness can assure us how this process passes that test—or does it not apply to the Ministerial Code?
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks for clarification on issues relating to the ministerial code”The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on government assessments of those at risk of falling into poverty during a debate on rising food prices on 25th May 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, in the diocese which I serve, charities in Harlow alone have fed more than 1 million people in the last year, which, frighteningly, represents a slower than the average demand for food banks nationally. I draw the Minister’s attention to the Bounty Club, which works with local businesses and people on the edge of crisis, helping them access a large bag of fresh food for £2.50, saving households on average £20 to £40 a week. Demand in Harlow is such that queues are regularly seen from St Paul’s Church right down the street. What assessment have the Government made of the number of people who are on the cusp of falling into poverty? What strategies are they considering to prevent people requiring the use of their local food bank or even charities such as the Bounty Club?
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about government approach to those at risk of poverty”The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 25th May 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of inter-faith engagement and cooperation to the Levelling Up agenda; and what plans they have, if any, to provide funding support towards the work of the Inter Faith Network, including for Inter Faith Week during 2023–24.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): The department continues to take steps to support inter-faith community cohesion. For example, this government is supporting Dame Sara Khan’s independent review of Social Cohesion and Resilience which is due to report in the Autumn, and I am considering additional options to take forward.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about interfaith engagement in levelling-up agenda”
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 25th May 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions were undertaken of people smugglers in each of the last three years for which data are available.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about number of prosecutions for human trafficking in the last three years”The Bishop of St Alban received the following written answer on 25th May 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many cases of whistleblowing were reported and investigated by the Civil Service in (1) 2022, (2) 2021, (3) 2020, and (4) 2019.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con, Cabinet Office): We are made aware by departments annually, who also report on behalf of their agencies, of cases raised formally through whistleblowing procedures.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about reported cases of whistleblowing investigated by the Civil Service in the last four years”On 24th May 2023, the Archbishop of Canterbury asked a question he had tabled on what the government are doing to assist the government of South Sudan to support refugees from the current conflict in Sudan:
The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist the government of South Sudan to support refugees from the conflict in Sudan.
The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on why the government had rowed back commitments made on the Windrush Lessons Learned Review on 24th May 2023, during a discussion on plans to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Empire Windrush’s arrival in the UK:
The Church of England in Parliament 
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