Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Manchester asks about government reviews of the Hillsborough Disaster

On 2nd February 2023, the Bishop of Manchester asked that the government ensure that the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster informed and consulted regarding any future reviews and responses, following a commons urgent question on the police response to Bishop James Jones’ report on the disaster:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I echo tributes to my friend, the former Bishop of Liverpool. As a young priest 34 years ago, I was summoned to Hillsborough to support bereaved families in the immediate aftermath. That the Hillsborough families were not fully consulted in October last year when the Home Office announced an independent review is, I fear, deeply regrettable. Will the Minister now commit to ensuring that the Hillsborough families remain consulted, engaged and at the heart of the Government’s response from this point on?

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Bishop of Manchester asks about facial recognition technology

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on facial recognition technology during a debate on the impacts and use of CCTV in the UK on 2nd February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I declare my interest as chair of the Greater Manchester Police independent ethics committee. Can the Minister tell us what the Government’s assessment is of the use of CCTV in conjunction with live facial recognition technology by police across the UK, and what legal safeguards are in place to ensure that fundamental rights are upheld?

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Bishop of Manchester asks about changes needed to address criminality within the police

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on how the government plan to realise the turnaround priorities set out by the new police commissioner, during a debate on criminality within the Metropolitan Police on 1st February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, this is more than a series of bad apples; I am sure that there is something rotten in the culture and structures in policing that comprehensively and immediately needs to be addressed. We have the nine turnaround priorities that the new police commissioner has set out. Can the Minister set out how the Government will assist with and ensure those priorities are realised as a matter of urgency?

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Bishop of London asks about development of healthcare strategies

The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 1st February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government what the consultation process will be in the development of their Major Conditions Strategy.

Lord Markham (Con): Through the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, the Government is currently reviewing which retained European Union law should be repealed, reformed or preserved. The Government continues to work with a range of stakeholders to ensure that current standards in patient safety and public health are maintained.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about medical treatment for problem gambling

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of medication, such as paroxetine, for the treatment of problem gambling.

Lord Markham (Con): Whilst no specific assessment has been made, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence is developing a clinical guideline for the treatment of harmful gambling. This will cover psychological and psychosocial interventions as well as pharmacological treatments, with publication expected in early 2024.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about housing, schools and levelling up in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 1st February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote affordable housing developments in rural areas.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances in rural areas. Our Rural Exception Sites policy allows for the development of small affordable housing sites in rural areas, with the majority of housing on these sites being available to local people in perpetuity, and we published planning practice guidance in 2020 to help local authorities and developers bring more of these sites forward.

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Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about access to information on energy bills for vulnerable households

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked a question on obligations of affordable energy providers to offer alternatives to electronic communication to those in need, during a debate on energy costs for vulnerable households on 31st January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I recognise that my question connects with the previous Oral Question. Listening to clergy in my diocese who are operating food banks and warm spaces, they say to me that one of the biggest challenges that vulnerable households are facing as they try to pay their energy bills is accessing information, particularly when it is available only online. What assurance can the Minister give that those responsible for delivering affordable energy, including Ofgem, will use or require the use of alternatives to electronic forms of communication when trying to reach those in need, including partnering with service providers such as food banks?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about education on gambling

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 31st January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Barran on 9 January (HL4502 and HL4503), what current research informs their statutory curriculum for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) with regard to gambling education.

Baroness Barran: The current statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) was informed by a stakeholder engagement process in 2017, including a public call for evidence that received over 23,000 responses from parents, young people, schools and experts.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about fires caused by sky lanterns

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on Tuesday 31st January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 13 December 2022 (HL3856), whether they can provide an itemised table from the Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) that details how many incidents where sky lanterns have been confirmed as the source of a fire.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Buildings, Heritage Protection, LGBT+ People, Religious Freedom, Funding for Rural Churches, and the Coronation of King Charles III

Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs on 31st January 2023:

Ben Bradshaw MP (Lab): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the cost of legal support provided by (a) dioceses and (b) the Church Commissioners to incumbents and PCCs of parishes affected by pastoral reorganisation making a representation at an oral hearing of the Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee was in each of the last five years.

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