Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of St Albans asks about rural housing

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to (1) review, and (2) update, what constitutes a designated ‘rural area’ within the terms of section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 with a view to including more smaller rural communities.

Lord Greenhalgh (Con): The areas set out under section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 are National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and areas designated as rural for the purposes of Right to Buy by the Secretary of State.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about prioritising the voices of children in conversations on the impact of COVID-19

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on prioritising children’s voices on 1st July 2021, during a debate on the effects of COVID-19 on education:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: Throughout the pandemic there has been a noticeable lack of briefings aimed specifically at children and a great absence of their voices. I was glad to host an event for MPs and key leaders in Gloucestershire where all the input came from young people. Can the Minister give an assurance that, in looking at the impact of Covid on the lives of children, it is they who will be asked and heard?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about effects of COVID-19 on the levelling-up agenda

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on whether the government would provide an opportunity for the House of Lords to hold a debate on the effects of COVID-19 on the government’s levelling-up agenda on 1st July 2021, during a debate on addressing discrepancies in life expectancy and public health in deprived areas:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: In the light of Sir Michael Marmot’s report, will the Minister commit to providing an early opportunity for this House to debate the impact of Covid-19 on Her Majesty’s Government’s much-advertised agenda for levelling up, particularly relating to children and young people in those regions with the greatest level of deprivation?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about ensuring a healthy digital environment for children

The Bishop of Gloucester asked whether the government would give assurances that children’s rights to a healthy digital environment would be taken into consideration in the upcoming Online Safety Bill on 1st July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, the online safety Bill talks about protecting

“rights to freedom of expression”,

but nowhere does it refer to children’s rights to grow up in a healthy digital environment. Can the Minister give assurance that this will be addressed?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about regulations around singing during worship

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the COVID-19 regulations around singing during worship on 30th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, bearing in mind that on Monday in the other place the new Health Secretary said he hoped that church congregations would soon be able to sing together, could the Minister please give us some clarity on this and say what plans the Government have now to review the research on congregational singing with the use of face coverings, given that singing is not an add-on to worship but integral to it?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for those applying for the EU Settlement Scheme

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th June 2021:

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

  • what steps they are taking to support those who have been unable to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme because of the pandemic.
  • what steps they are taking to support (1) individuals, and (2) communities, who face barriers to applying to the EU Settlement Scheme online

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): The Home Office remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme can apply, including those who are vulnerable or need extra support. £22 million of funding has been awarded to a network of 72 charities and local authorities across the UK, to ensure important information and assistance gets through to those who are hardest to reach, and no one is left behind. These organisations have helped more than 310,000 vulnerable people to apply to the EUSS already.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling reform

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the positive economic effects of instituting reform of the gambling industry on 29th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report produced by NERA Economic Consulting for the Peers for Gambling Reform group Economic Assessment of Selected House of Lords Gambling Reforms, published on 26 May, what assessment they have made of the positive economic effects of implementing the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry (HL Paper 79, Session 2019–21).

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Bishop of Gloucester asked about protection for migrant victims of abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on safeguarding vulnerable migrant women and children from abuse on 28th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, during the passage of the Domestic Abuse Bill, now an Act, your Lordships discussed how best to protect migrant victims of abuse. Will the Minister assure me that any reforms, such as those being discussed here today, will safeguard migrant women and children, who are often particularly vulnerable?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about collapse of the Equitable Life insurance scheme

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 28th June 2021:

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

  • what recent consideration they have given to ensuring that there is (1) compensation, and (2) support, available to those affected by the collapse of Equitable Life.
  • what plans they have to assess the methodology used to calculate the money owed to Equitable Life policyholders as part of the compensation scheme established under the Equitable Life (Payments) Act 2010, and (2) the accuracy of the figures produced by that methodology.
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Bishop of St Albans asks about fire safety and prevention in residential buildings

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 28th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to give residents, tenants and leaseholders the right to access their building’s fire risk assessment.

Lord Greenhalgh (Con): The Building Safety Bill seeks to provide residents, tenants and leaseholders of high rise buildings with further and more detailed information about the safety measures in their building upon request. This information may include full, current and historical fire risk assessments: further detail will be set out in due course.

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