Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about situation of homeless migrants

St Albans 2On the 21st December 20165, Lord Shipley asked the Government “what is their latest estimate of the number of people who will be homeless or living in temporary accommodation over the Christmas period”. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, is the Minister aware of the Housing Justice Night Shelter IMPACT report, which was published this week? It found that of those in night shelters, 14% or roughly 268 were migrants with no recourse to public funds, support or indeed, of course, housing. Will the Minister tell the House what the Government are doing to speed up the process of resolving these difficult cases, which are causing such anxiety and suffering?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about situation of homeless migrants”

Bishop of Coventry asks Government about refusal of visas to Archbishops from Syria and Iraq

13.10 Bishop of CoventryOn the 21st December 2016, the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received answers to written questions concerning visa applications from Syria and Iraq and the refusal of visas to Archbishops.

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review why the Archbishop of Mosul, the Archbishop of St Matthews and the Archbishop of Homs and Hama were refused visas to travel to the UK from Iraq and Syria to attend the consecration of the Syriac Orthodox Cathedral in London. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about refusal of visas to Archbishops from Syria and Iraq”

Bishop of St Albans expresses concern about rollout of Prevent Strategy

St Albans 2On 20th December 2016, Baroness Hussein-Ece asked the Government “how they are assessing and evaluating the success of the Prevent Strategy deradicalisation programme following the referral of approximately 4,000 people last year”. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans My Lords, a group of Christian leaders in Luton in my diocese are working closely with people of other faiths on the Prevent strategy. I have to say that I hear a very different narrative from the grass roots which is profoundly worrying. There is growing discontent at the rollout of the Prevent strategy due to a number of things such as religious illiteracy and some very heavy-handed actions. Would the Minister be willing to come and meet a group of leaders to hear about these concerns? These are people who want to try to make this work so that we can think about how to get it back on course and improve the situation. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans expresses concern about rollout of Prevent Strategy”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for rural affordable housing

St AlbansOn 15th December 2016 Lord Kennedy of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the impact of the availability of affordable housing on the ability of both private and public sector organisations to recruit and retain staff.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the lack of affordable housing in recruiting local workers is also felt acutely in many rural areas. Rural exemption sites have proved a good way of providing affordable housing, but with the uncertainty over the recent extension of right to buy, some landowners are reluctant to bring forward land. In light of this, will Her Majesty’s Government publish clear guidelines on the potential for restrictive covenants on rural exemption sites to provide affordable housing in perpetuity for local workers? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for rural affordable housing”

Bishop of Durham asks about tensions between Rwanda and Burundi

Bp Durham June 2015 bOn 15th December 2016 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question on relations between Rwanda and Burundi:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 22 September (HL1691), what additional assistance is being given to alleviate heightened tensions between the governments of Rwanda and Burundi. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about tensions between Rwanda and Burundi”

Bishop of Durham asks about safety of those removed from UK to Democratic Republic of Congo

Bp Durham June 2015 bOn 15th December 2016 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question about those removed from the UK to the Democratic Republic of Congo:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to assess the safety of those who have been removed from the UK to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about safety of those removed from UK to Democratic Republic of Congo”

Bishop of Winchester asks about overseas student numbers and effect on the economy

winchester171116On 13th and 14th December 2016 the Bishop of Winchester, Rt Rev’d Tim Dakin, received responses from the Department for Education and Treasury to three written questions about overseas student numbers and their effect on the economy:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of overseas students, excluding EU students, coming to study in the UK over the next five years. Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about overseas student numbers and effect on the economy”

Bishop of Peterborough says education system should ‘encourage a love of learning, not a fear of failure’

14.02 PeterboroughOn 13th December, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Sharkey, asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s performance in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment rankings published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development”. The Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Peterborough My Lords, is the Minister aware that, in a number of the countries that have much higher academic standards at secondary school level, particularly those in the Far East—I know the story of South Korea quite well—there is also a much higher suicide rate among teenagers? Does he agree that our schools need to help people learn in ways that they enjoy and are healthy holistically, and that schools should encourage a love of learning rather than a fear of failure?

Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough says education system should ‘encourage a love of learning, not a fear of failure’”

Bishop of Durham asks about UK engagement with President of Burundi

14.06.10 Bishop of Durham 5On 13th December, the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, received two written answers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to questions about the President of Burundi.

The Lord Bishop of Durham To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Burundi in the light of the recent attack on presidential aide, Willy Nyamitwe. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about UK engagement with President of Burundi”

Bishop of Durham asks Government about resettlement of Syrian Refugees

Bp Durham June 2015 bOn 20th December, the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, received an answer to a written question conerning the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many refugees have been resettled through the Syrian vulnerable person resettlement scheme and community sponsorship scheme in each region of the UK. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about resettlement of Syrian Refugees”