Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Archbishop of York asks about social care reform

During a debate on the government’s social care strategy on 22nd March 2023, the Archbishop of York asked a question on reforming the social care workforce, emphasising the need to value care workers:

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, the report by the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care was published in January. I am sure that the Minister is aware of this: in fact, I know that he is having a meeting later today with the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Carlisle, who co-chaired that commission. We argue for a very bold approach to social care, which puts at its heart the concept of a care covenant, with clear expectations on each of us of what we should give and expect in return, recognising that each of us is a carer and that most of us will need care one day.

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Bishop of Derby asks about sport opportunities for women in prison

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 22nd March 2023:

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

  • what steps they have taken to improve the opportunities for sport and physical activity for women and girls in the criminal justice system.
  • what progress they have made in improving the availability of sport and physical activity for women and girls in the criminal justice system; and what plans they have to expand provision.

Lord Bellamy (Con): Encouraging engagement in sport and exercise amongst women and girls in contact with the criminal justice system can have a significant impact on reducing reoffending through both early intervention and diversionary activities, as well as rehabilitation for those sentenced.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about avian influenza compensation, farmers incomes, and plant biosecurity

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 22nd March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 8 March (HL5863), how much they paid to farmers in 2022 as part of the Avian Influenza Compensation scheme.

Lord Benyon (Con): In 2022, a total of £41.0 million was paid in compensation to bird keepers whose flocks were culled for avian influenza disease control purposes.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about health of the banking sector

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on the health of the British banking sector on 21st March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the health of the British banking sector, following the challenges faced by overseas banks.

Baroness Penn (Con): The UK Government welcome the steps taken to support financial stability on Sunday by the Swiss authorities relating to Credit Suisse. This follows the sale on 13 March of Silicon Valley Bank UK to HSBC after the resolution of its US parent. No other UK banks have been materially affected by these actions. The Governor of the Bank of England has confirmed that, in his view:

“The wider UK banking system remains safe, sound, and well capitalised.”

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Bishop of Durham asks about prevention of debts for universal credit recipients

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 21st March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report An Essentials Guarantee: Reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times, published on 27 February, which found that “95 per cent of people on Universal Credit facing debt deductions are going without essentials”, what steps they are taking to prevent debt from being (1) generated, and (2) sustained, in the social security system.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about control of diseases effecting trees

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 21st March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to limit the spread of Phytophthora ramorum in trees in England.

Lord Benyon (Con): Phytophthora ramorum is primarily distributed across the western regions of GB affecting larch plantations. For over twelve years we have had a robust management programme in place, including aerial and ground-based surveillance and risk-based inspections at nurseries and retail sites. Scotland and Wales have their own management programmes.

Where it is found, given the economic impact of the disease to the forestry industry, Statutory Plant Health Notices are served requiring the destruction of infected trees and those nearby. Specific measures are taken related to the handling, movement and processing of larch infected with P. ramorum, to prevent the spread through the trade in timber and related products.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about impact of litter on wildlife, costs of animal feed, and the effect of global warming on diseases contracted by trees

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answers on 21st March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of litter on wildlife.

Lord Benyon (Con): There is a systematic, proactive screening of potential new and emerging plant health risks. This includes consideration of changes which have the potential to affect the risk posed by non-native plant pests and pathogens to UK plants, both cultivated and in the wider environment. Pests and pathogens which are considered to pose a risk are prioritised for action in the UK Plant Health Risk Register. Risks are reviewed monthly by an expert group and Ministers, and prioritised for actions such as contingency plans in the event of an outbreak, pest risk analyses which can look in detail at potential risks associated with climatic factors, surveillance, enhanced inspection, regulation, national measures, import controls, research and awareness raising.  Actions and decisions are kept under review and would be reconsidered in light of new information concerning the pest or other factor which would change the risk to GB.

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Bishop of Durham asks about free school meals claims

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 21st March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government how many children are currently eligible for free school meals but have not yet made a claim.

Baroness Barran (Con): The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming free school meals (FSM). This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, over one third of pupils receive a free meal in school.

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Bishop of Worcester asks about contradictory nature of the death penalty

The Bishop of Worcester asked a question on the problematic nature of the judicial death penalty during a debate on capital punishment and UK membership of the Council of Europe on 2oth February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, in view of the comments to which the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, has drawn attention, does the Minister agree that there is something deeply ironic about a society condemning the taking of a person’s life, and in order to demonstrate exactly how strongly it does so, doing exactly that through a judicial killing?

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Bishop of Exeter asks about dangers of avian influenza

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 20th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of the spread of the H5N1 virus, following the death of a girl in Cambodia.

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