Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
On 4th May 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on gift aid reform for charities during coronavirus:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL3217 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the amount that charities can claim through Gift Aid to 50p for every £1 donated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 4th May 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on the review of the 2005 Gambling Act:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL3158 To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 1 April (HL2887), what is the nature of the scoping work being undertaken; who is involved in that work; and when they anticipate concluding such work. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about progress in reviewing the 2005 Gambling Act”
On 30th April 2020 during a virtual sitting of the House of Lords, the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a question he had tabled about the situation in Idlib, Syria. The response, his follow-up and other questions from Members is reproduced below:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ongoing conflict in Idlib, Syria.
The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding via video call.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con): My Lords, we welcome the ongoing ceasefire in Idlib and call on all sides to abide by their obligations under the Russia-Turkey agreement of 5 March and to heed UN envoy Pedersen’s calls for a permanent, nationwide cessation of hostilities. We also remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Idlib, with 846,000 people still displaced and at high risk of Covid-19. We have therefore further increased our humanitarian response.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: I am grateful to the Minister for his response but, with 84 hospitals destroyed, some commentators are suggesting that in Idlib alone 100,000 people are at risk of coronavirus. What are Her Majesty’s Government doing to ensure that we have medical equipment, particularly ventilators, in that country to prevent what could be another humanitarian crisis?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans raises potential Covid-19 humanitarian crisis in Syria”
On 29th April 2020 during a virtual sitting of the House of Lords, Baroness Burt of Solihull asked the Government “what practical measures they are taking to address domestic abuse as part of their strategy on the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Bishop of Gloucester, Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, asked a follow-up question:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, continuing the theme of children, given that lockdown has removed children’s usual contacts with schools, community groups and services, what are the Government doing to increase public awareness and provide advice and support for children at this time? Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about support for vulnerable children during Covid-19 lockdown”
On 28th April 2020 during the online sitting of the House of Lords, the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a question he had tabled to Government on dairy prices. The response, and the follow-up questions from other Members are below. The session was interrupted by technological problems, which prevented the Minister from joining to give the initial reply.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changing dairy prices on farmers.
The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding via video call.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler): The Minister, Lord Gardiner of Kimble. Lord Gardiner? We have no Minister. Is the Whip able to answer this Question?
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op): Perhaps the Whip can explain why there is no Minister.
Lord Ashton of Hyde (Con): I will come in, as the Chief Whip. I am very sorry, but the answer is that I have no idea why my noble friend Lord Gardiner is unavailable. I apologise to the House. Something technical has obviously gone wrong, and I can only ask your Lordships’ forgiveness on this occasion. There will be a thorough inquiry into this, and I apologise to the House.
The Lord Speaker: Thank you, Chief Whip. Can you stay on the line and at least field the questions that will come? The right reverend Prelate needs to ask his supplementary.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: Thank you very much. I cannot thank the Minister for his Answer because he has not given me one, but he will be aware that some dairy producers are unable to change contracts and are finding it extraordinarily difficult to access business support grants. What changes have Her Majesty’s Government made in the past month to cut red tape and save some of our dairy farmers who are going bankrupt?
On 28th April 2020 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question on early years childcare and coronavirus:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: HL3310 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the (1) short-, and (2) long-term, financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early years childcare providers in receipt of local authority funding who have restricted access to the Job Retention Scheme. [T]
On 23rd April 2020 in a virtual sitting of the House of Lords Baroness McIntosh of Pickering asked the Government “how many United Kingdom manufacturers are in place to ensure that an adequate supply of personal protective equipment is made available to (1) the National Health Service, and (2) carers, to all regions of the United Kingdom; and what direct contact they have had with such manufacturers based in the North of England.” The Bishop of Newcastle, Rt Revd Christine Hardman, asked a follow-up question:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, in view of the inability to supply sufficient PPE to where it is needed, despite the very best efforts of central government, will the Minister take note of the achievements of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, working in partnership with Wingrove Motor Company, Northumbria University, Barbour and many others, to produce and deliver PPE directly to hospitals and hospices in the region? Will the Minister consider devolving more power to the regions and those on the front line?
In a House of Lords virtual sitting on 22nd April 2020 Baroness Wheeler asked the Government “what assessment they have made of the analysis by Care England which suggests that there have been significantly more deaths caused by Covid-19 in care homes than have been reported.” The Bishop of Newcastle, Rt Revd Christine Hardman, asked a follow-up question:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, it is not just care homes facing these very serious challenges; I have learned that it is also hospices and sheltered accommodation, among other places. Managers responsible for those organisations are under enormous pressure trying to ensure safe staffing levels and the safety of their staff. I hope that sufficient PPE will soon be secured and distributed. Although I recognise the enormous challenge and the efforts that are being made towards that, in the immediate context where we do not have that, can the Minister tell us how the Government aim to advise and support those responsible for running our care homes, sheltered accommodation and hospices, who are having to make such difficult decisions now and many of whom feel abandoned and rather lonely in that responsibility?
On 1st & 20th April 2020 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received answers to written questions on the immigration health surcharge:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: HL2736 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence was used to inform the increase in the immigration health surcharge, announced in the 2020 Budget. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about immigration health surcharge, impact on children and NHS workers”
On 6th April 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on encouraging food production as a result of Covid-19.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL2831 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage domestic food production as a result of COVID-19. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about encouraging domestic food production as a result of Covid-19”
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