Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Durham asks about adequacy of benefits in the current cost of living crisis

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

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the current levels of benefits given the increased cost of living.

Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con): The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The government’s Energy Price Guarantee, running from October 2022- March 2023, will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy price would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

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Bishop of London asks about changes in statutory sick pay

The Bishop of London received the following written answers on 21st December 2022:

The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government how the number of people earning less than the lower earnings threshold for statutory sick pay has changed over the last five years.

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Bishop of Durham asks about funded early education for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

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

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government how many children subject to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions are in receipt of 15 hours a week of free early education available to disadvantaged three and four year-olds, but would be eligible for the 30 hour entitlement if not subject to NRPF.

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Bishop of Durham asks about government records and assessment of debts and credit use

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

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what records they keep of the rate of (1) credit use, and (2) problem debt; and what assessment they have made of the effects of these on the UK population.

Lord Harlech (Con): The Government monitors the rate of credit use and problem debt by working closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as well as by engaging with the debt advice sector and other relevant stakeholders on their research and findings.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about access to cash in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st December 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what steps they are taking to ensure that cash access remains viable in the most remote parts of the UK.
  • further to the introduction of shared banking hubs in larger towns in the UK, what assessment they have made of level of cash access those in the most rural areas can expect to have in the future.
  • what steps they are taking to support people who rely solely on cash to (1) access cash, and (2) access digital banking alternatives to cash.

Lord Harlech (Con): The government recognises that while the transition towards digital banking and payments brings many opportunities, cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups.

The government is currently taking legislation to protect access to cash across the UK through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022. The legislation will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities.

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Bishop of Durham asks about improving access to budgeting loans

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

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce (1) the waiting time for, and (2) the size of the loans available through, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ budgeting loans scheme.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about fines imposed on gambling companies

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 20th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many fines were imposed against gambling companies by the Gambling Commission for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, (3) 2018, (4) 2019, (5) 2020, and (6) 2021.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about safe and legal routes for those seeking asylum

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question concerning safe and legal routes for people seeking asylum in the UK, during a debate on the government’s migration policy and partnership with Rwanda on 20th December 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, in the recent Statements, and in the Prime Minister’s comment piece in the Telegraph, there was a stated commitment to create more safe and legal routes, but no information was given on the timeline or the proposed numbers, and there was no indication of the sorts vulnerabilities that have been identified. The Rwanda partnership is one among many deterrence policies, but the worry is that, in the absence of safe routes, it seems very unlikely that that will be sufficient. When will the Government bring forward plans and proposals for these additional safe and legal routes?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about upholding free speech in universities

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on upholding freedom of speech in universities on 20th December 2022, following discussion of an attack on protestors at the Chinese consulate in Manchester:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, as was said, this is part of a much larger testing of what we do in this country. This is also being lived out and spelled out in our university campuses, where meetings are sometimes being disrupted, people are being shouted down and freedom of speech is under threat. What advice and support are being given to our universities to ensure that these vital values are upheld in our country?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about investment education for young people

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on whether the government was promoting education on finances and investments for young people on 20th December 2022, during a debate on the regulation of cryptocurrencies:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, following the collapse of FTX there is great concern at just how volatile this sector is. Many young people presume that, because it is called a currency, it is more stable than it really is. I am told that, if you go online, you will find young people talking about eye-watering amounts of money that they have made and others have lost. What are His Majesty’s Government doing to educate younger people about proper investment understanding, so that they are aware of the risks they are taking if they enter this market?

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