Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church of England Assets and Finances

On 20th October 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP:

Kerry McCarthy MP (Lab, Bristol East): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how much has been paid in (a) tax rebates, including of VAT on repairs and (b) Gift Aid to Church of England bodies including (i) dioceses, (ii) parochial church councils, (iii) cathedrals, (iv) the Church Commissioners and (v) the Churches Conservation Trust in each of the last five years.

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Bishop of Durham tables question on child poverty and the two-child benefit cap

On 19th October 2021, the Bishop of Durham asked a question on the findings of the Nuffield Foundation Review on Child Poverty, and links between child poverty and the government’s two-child limit on welfare benefits:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Nuffield Foundation’s review Changing patterns of poverty in early childhood, published on 14 September; and what steps they intend to take as a result, including in relation to the two-child limit for welfare benefits.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for the work of the Gambling Commission

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 19th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited, published on 13 September, what steps they are taking, beyond additional funding, to ensure that the Gambling Commission is better able to monitor and intervene in the case of novel gambling products.

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Bishop of Durham asks about remediation strategies for building safety

The Bishop of Durham asked a question about strategies for payment of remediation in issues of building safety on 18th October 2021, during a debate on the costs associated with remedying safety defects:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, have the Government looked closely at the “polluter pays” principle as a way of recouping funds for remediation of building safety defects from those who were initially responsible? Will this, or something equivalent, form part of the Building Safety Bill?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Community Wellbeing

On 18th October 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to provide affordable, sustainable and beautiful housing to support community wellbeing on the Church estate.

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Bishop of St Albans tables question for debate on gambling related harms

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question for short debate on the topic of the recently published Gambling Related Harms Evidence Review on 14th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Public Health England Gambling-related harms evidence review, published on 30 September.

My Lords, I declare my interests as a vice-chair of Peers for Gambling Reform. I thank Public Health England and all those who worked on this review, which sheds light on the health impacts of gambling-related harms and quantifies the direct cost of gambling harms to the Government. The review concluded that 0.5% of our population were considered problem gamblers and 7% of the population of the UK are negatively affected by gambling. This is over 4 million people in England and over 5 million people across the UK as a whole, which is one in 12 people either directly or indirectly affected by gambling-related harms. This is a significant social problem.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about prevention of homelessness

During a debate on the cost of living on 12th October 2021, the Bishop of Manchester asked a question on government efforts to prevent increasing homelessness in the UK:

The Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I wish that at the beginning of our proceedings this afternoon I had decided to count how many times the phrase “unintended consequences” would be heard in a ministerial voice. As someone who has long been a campaigner for and volunteer with homelessness charities, I wonder what assessment Her Majesty’s Government have made of the unintended consequences this change will have on the level of homelessness among our people. We did so well with the Everyone In scheme; it seems a shame if we are now putting that at risk. What will the Government do to mitigate that?

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Bishop of Oxford advocates for protection for low income households during transistion to net-zero

The Bishop of Oxford asked a question on whether protection for low-income households would be included in the government roadmap to net-zero on 11th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, in order to avoid a disruptive transformation from our current carbon-intensive society, we need the Government to include fiscal measures to protect the poorest and most vulnerable households. Can the Minister confirm that the full Government road map to net zero will include a carbon fee and dividend element to cushion the blow for low-income households, as already successfully trialled in several Canadian provinces, Alaska and elsewhere?

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Bishop of Chichester asks about humanitarian concerns in Cameroon

The Bishop of Chichester received the following written answers on 11th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Chichester asked Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Cameroon about ensuring the legal protection of (1) human rights defenders, and (2) civil society activists, in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the crisis in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon, including the disturbing reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces. In a visit to Cameroon in March, the previous Minister for Africa met President Biya, Prime Minister Ngute and Foreign Minister Mbella Mbella, where he set out the UK’s commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution.

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Bishop of Worcester asks about current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan

The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answers on 11th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the current levels of internally displaced persons in Afghanistan, and (2) current and future refugee flows from Afghanistan to (a) Pakistan, (b) Tajikistan, (c) Iran, (d) Uzbekistan, and (e) Turkmenistan.

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