Questions – Page 243 – The Church of England in Parliament

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Charitable Donations, Church Commissioners Land, Religious Buildings, Planning Permission

On 8th January 2021 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Charitable Donations

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Con, The Cotswolds): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the potential merits of establishing an app to enable contactless donations to be given via a QR code in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.

Bishop of Durham asks about reducing rates of COVID-19 in schools

On 7th January 2021, the Bishop of Durham asked about methods of reducing rates of COVID-19 in schools, following a government statement on the impact of the pandemic on educational settings:

The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: I declare my interests as chair of the National Society. I thank the Minister for the Statement and the commitment on the delivery of laptops and 4G to children. Some schools are reporting over two-thirds attendance today, due to children of key workers and vulnerable children. This runs counter to the policy of children staying at home as much as possible and, as such, is seen by school staff as highly risky to them. I have been in touch with a number of them just this afternoon with regard to this. What proportion of school attendance do Her Majesty’s Government think is needed to reduce schools’ role as a virus vector, and what more can be done to enable more vulnerable children to learn from home where hardware and 4G are the issue?

Bishop of Rochester asks about engagement by faith communities in COVID-19 Pandemic response

The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on how faith communities might continue to address the needs of communities in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic on 7th January 2021, and spoke in a debate on the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation and Linked Households) (England) Regulations 2020:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, if any may have doubted the seriousness of the current situation, they had only to watch last night’s BBC report from University College Hospital, or to note that we are once again seeing multiple deaths in care home settings. Along with the Prime Minister’s Statement, it was announced that places of worship in England may remain open. I know that that has been welcomed by some faith communities, although others have already gone largely online. However, all such communities continue to engage with energy in acts of pastoral and community service. In the light of this, would the Leader of the House care to suggest what she and her colleagues would most wish to ask of our faith communities? What further might we offer? I believe that the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, may already have provided part of an answer.

Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on the costs of problem gambling to the taxpayer on 7th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost to taxpayers of problem gambling.

Baroness Barran (Con, DCMS): My Lords, Public Health England has undertaken a review of evidence on the public health harms relating to gambling and their social and economic burden. Publication has been delayed by Covid but is expected in the first part of this year. We have also launched our review of the Gambling Act. We are calling for evidence on how best to reduce harms and how we will recoup the cost to society.

Bishop of St Albans asks about impacts of gambling

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government further to the statement in Government Response to the House of Lords Gambling Industry Committee Report: Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry, published on 8 December:

that gambling advertising did not correlate to gambling participation among 11 to 24 year olds, what plans they have to undertake a review of the effects of gambling advertising on children as part of the Gambling Act Review.
how many gambling operators have been sanctioned due to breaches of rules committed by contracted affiliates.

Bishop of Rochester asks about support for charities working in local communities

The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on support for smaller charities on 6th January 2021, during a discussion on financial support for religious groups during the COVID-19 pandemic:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord McCrea, as his Question enables me to acknowledge with thanks to the support which has been received by religious groups and charities, not least through the furlough arrangements, which have been a considerable help for many of them. However, in looking to the future, I join others in urging Her Majesty’s Government to keep particularly in mind the needs of smaller charities, which are often religious, community and locally based in character, whose work with young people, the homeless, those in debt, the elderly and other groups has been growing in this time, while their voluntary income has often been diminishing. Perhaps I can tempt the Minister by suggesting that Her Majesty’s Government might consider using their new-found freedoms to exchange the current scheme, whereby VAT is reimbursed on works relating to listed places of worship, for one where it is not charged in the first place.

Bishop of Salisbury asks about tree planting targets

The Bishop of Salisbury received the following written answer on 5th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the response by Lord Callanan on 14 December (HL Deb, col 1410), what specific steps they are taking to meet their tree planting target for (1) 2020, (2) 2021, and (3) any future years.

Bishop of Durham asks about review of Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 5th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they have appointed an independent reviewer to carry out a review of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration; and if not, when such an appointment will be made.

Archbishop of Canterbury asks about funding for passport checking facilities at the Port of Dover

The Archbishop of Canterbury received the following written answer on 5th January 2021:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure sufficient funding to enable adequate passport checking facilities at the Port of Dover following the end of the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU.

Bishop of St Albans asks about increasing funding for hospice sector

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

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the funding that clinical commissioning groups provide to the charitable hospice sector.

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