Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Leeds asks about public confidence in the law following collapse of trial in the Hillsborough disaster case

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on public confidence in the law and the justice system following a Commons Urgent Statement on the collapse of a trial associated with the Hillsborough disaster:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, what have the Government learned about the process of justice and public confidence in law, when a trial can collapse one day and a defence counsel stands in the street outside the court and maintains unequivocally that this proves that there has not been a cover-up, yet almost the next day the police admit such cover-ups and compensation is duly paid?

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con, Ministry of Justice): My Lords, as Prime Minister David Cameron said when he made the apology in the other place, the families

“suffered a double injustice: the injustice of the … events”

themselves,

“the failure of the state to protect”

them

“and the indefensible wait to get to the truth;”

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Bishop of Leeds asks about discussion of constitutional reform

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question about discussions of constitutional reform on 14th June 2021, stressing the need for cross-party and cross-society participation in these talks, particularly with regard to the union:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am not sure whether I heard reference to federalism there. Does the Minister agree that, because of the nature of the debate and the threats to the union, we need to get ahead of the game in relation to the union and its associated constitutional arrangements, and that this is urgent? Will the Government ensure that such discussions are cross-party and cross-society when they do take place?

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Bishop of Worcester asks about cuts to international development aid

On 10th June 2021, the Bishop of Worcester spoke in a discussion on Overseas Development Aid, expressing disappointment at the recent cuts to the programme and calling for the matter to be debated in Parliament:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, I salute the commitment of the Minister to development, which is much appreciated. However, I was disappointed to hear him say again that we remain among the largest givers in the G7. Surely, that is not the point. The point is that a manifesto commitment of which the Conservative Party could be proud has been broken. The argument marshalled for breaking that promise is the fiscal situation, but it is surely a matter of priorities. Eye-watering amounts of money have been spent on other things; this is a relatively small part of UK expenditure. Furthermore, is that spending not in our own interests? Jesus tells us to love our neighbour as ourself. The implication is that by loving our neighbours we will actually love ourselves better. At the moment, we need to commit more to overseas aid and fighting this terrible pandemic, which, as we all know, is global and not confined just to this country. Other countries are suffering much worse. Surely this matter should be debated by Parliament soon.

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Bishop of Carlisle asks about support for young carers

On 10th June 2021, during a discussion on support for carers, the Bishop of Carlisle raised the issue of young carers and the impact of caring responsibilities on education:

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I declare an interest as co-chair of the Archbishops’ commission on social care. Given that there are 750,000 young carers in England and that some 27% of them regularly miss school because of their caring responsibilities, can the Minister tell us whether Her Majesty’s Government have any plans to identify these children and offer them extra support, not least in the wake of the added disruption to their education that has been caused by the pandemic?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about religious freedom in Eritrea

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 10th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of religious freedom in Eritrea; and what representations have they made to the government of Eritrea about the ongoing house arrest of Abune Antonios.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, including the arrests of religious figures such as Patriarch Abune Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewadho Church who has been detained for over 15 years. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief raised Patriarch Abune Antonios’ case with the Eritrean Ambassador on 20 May, and our Ambassador in Asmara tweeted to call for the Patriarch and others detained for their faith to be released.

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Bishop of Carlisle asks about extension of access to defibrillators to prevent Sudden Adult Death Syndrome

During a discussion on the prevalence of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADs) on 9th June 2021, the Bishop of Carlisle asked a question on the possibility of defibrillators being made more widely available as a preventative measure:

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, does the Minister concur with the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation that for the 50% of SADS deaths that show no prior warning signs, rapid access to automatic external defibrillators—AEDs—is the only way to prevent many tragedies occurring? If so, do Her Majesty’s Government have any plans for expanding the number of AEDs available throughout the country, especially at sporting venues?

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Bishop of Worcester asks about conflict and arms trade in Myanmar

The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answers on 9th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to table a UN Security Council Resolution to secure a comprehensive global arms embargo on Myanmar.

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Bishop of St Albans tables question on removal of unilateral digital services taxes

On 8th June 2021, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on whether tech companies would pay more tax in the UK under the proposed removal of unilateral digital services taxes:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the announcement of the G7 global tax agreement on 5 June, whether tech companies will pay more tax in the United Kingdom after the proposed removal of unilateral digital services taxes.

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Bishop of Carlisle asks about informed consent in collection of medical information

On 8th June 2021, during a discussion on collection of patient care records by the NHS, the Bishop of Carlisle asked a question on the issue of informed consent for patients to opt out of having their data collected and stored:

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, informed consent is at the heart of good patient care. Can the Minister tell us what plans Her Majesty’s Government have to inform patients that they have the right to opt out of having their personal medical information collected in this way? How will this be advertised?

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Bishop of Durham asks about child poverty

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 7th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the latest Households Below Average Income release, published on 25 March:

  • what steps they are taking to address the rising number of children in relative poverty.
  • what steps they are taking to support larger families living in poverty.
  • how they plan to address the rise in child poverty in the North East of England.
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