Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Bristol asks about case for airport expansion

On 14th December a statement from the Secretary of State for Transport on Airport Expansion was repeated in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Mike Hill, asked a follow-up question.

Bishop of Bristol June 2015The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, can the Minister comment on the remarks made by the chief executive officer of International Airlines Group, who said that as far as the airlines are concerned there is basically no business case at all for the extension of Gatwick? Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about case for airport expansion”

Bishop of Ely asks Government about academy conversions and church land

On 14th December Baroness Pinnock asked the Government “whether, if a faith school is rated inadequate and is required to become an academy, they will enforce the transfer of church land to the academy trust.” The Bishop of Ely, the Rt Revd Steven Conway, asked a follow-up question.

14.10.16 Bishop of Ely 1The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, can the Minister expand on the nature and character of the safeguards being provided, given that the prime issue around this land is not the land itself but that it has been given by parishes and generations of generous citizens to guarantee the religious character of those schools? Continue reading “Bishop of Ely asks Government about academy conversions and church land”

Bishop of Chester asks question on Sunday Trading

On the 14th December Baroness Deech asked the Government “whether they have plans to reform Sunday trading laws.” The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster, asked a follow-up question.

ChesterThe Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, would a useful reform be to go back to the good old days when people were paid double time for working on Sunday; then, shops, in the main, would not want to open? If I introduced a Private Member’s Bill, would the Government support me? Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks question on Sunday Trading”

Floods in Cumbria – Bishop of Leeds asks question

On 9th December 2015 Lord Grantchester asked Her Majesty’s Government “what emergency measures they are considering to support the emergency services and local communities affected by flooding in Cumbria.” The Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, asked a follow-up question: 

LeedsThe Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, what cognisance is taken by the Government of the stochastic modelling performed by the insurance industry and how many one-in-100-years events it takes for something to cease to be a one-in-100-years event?

 

Baroness Williams of Trafford: My Lords, I am sure that the right reverend Prelate will appreciate that this is probably a matter for God because every time that we have tried to predict, an even worse event has occurred. I do not make that point lightly. We are constantly reviewing the flood defences and how we can respond.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of St Albans asks about negative impact on adoption figures of Welfare Bill proposals

On 8th December 2015 Baroness King of Bow asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the drop in the number of children being placed for adoption”. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith asked a follow up question on measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill:

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, just last night in this Chamber, noble Lords discussed amendments to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill which sought to exclude kinship carers and adoptive parents from the two-child limit in tax credits. Given the worrying decline in the number of adoptions, this seems an eminently sensible proposal. If things go through as they are at the moment, this would act as a significant financial disincentive for some families to take on extra children as kinship carers or adoptive parents. This House was told last night that that is not being considered in the present Bill, but no reasons were given. Will the Minister explain why this very helpful suggestion is not being taken up? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about negative impact on adoption figures of Welfare Bill proposals”

Bishop of Bristol asks Government about bureaucratic delays in settling Syrian refugees

On 7th December 2015 Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty’s Government “what progress they have made to implement the Prime Minister’s pledge to settle 1,000 Syrian refugees by Christmas.” The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, asked a follow up question:

Bishop of Bristol June 2015

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I return to a question I previously hinted at, and in the light of the rather high profile reportage of the plan of the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury to house refugees in a cottage in the grounds of Lambeth Palace. Given that we understand there is some necessary bureaucracy associated with the proper placement of refugees, have we got the balance right? It is not just a question about the Archbishop, but about the good will shown by a good many people, which seems to be turned back by unnecessary bureaucracy.

Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks Government about bureaucratic delays in settling Syrian refugees”

Bishop of St Albans asks about Acute Oak Decline

On 7th December 2015 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received three written answers to questions on Acute Oak Decline.

Bishop St Albans June 2015The Lord Bishop of St Albans: 

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the spread of Acute Oak Decline in the UK.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many oak trees have been killed by Acute Oak Decline in the past five years.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have conducted into the bacterial infection spread by the Agrilus biguttatus beetle. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about Acute Oak Decline”

Help for Syrian refugees – Church Commissioners’ written answer

On the 3rd December 2015 the Second Church Estates Commissioner answered a written question from Mark Hendrick MP, about assistance for Syrian refugees from churches in Blackburn.

 

Mr Mark Hendrick (Preston): To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps each Anglican church in the Diocese of Blackburn is taking to assist Syrian refugees.

Caroline SpelmanMrs Caroline Spelman: The Diocese of Blackburn is working alongside other dioceses of the Church of England and local faith communities to coordinate their response to assist Syrian refugees. Churches in the diocese have been advised of the type of assistance that can most usefully be offered, working in conjunction with local authorities and other faith communities.

The three bishops of the Diocese of Blackburn were amongst the signatories to the letter from Church of England bishops to the Prime Minister, which welcomed the commitment of the Government to provide aid and resettlement, while calling on it to resettle substantially more than 20,000, and made clear the Church’s commitment to help in that task.

 

(Via Parliament.UK)

Bishop of St Albans asks about preventing violence against Muslims and raises negative media coverage

On 1st December 2015 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a question in the House of Lords about violence against Muslims and other minority groups following the terrorist attacks in Paris. He followed up with a question about negative media coverage of British Muslims.

StAlbans171115The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to prevent violence against Muslims and other minority groups following the attacks in Paris on 13 November.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport and Home Office (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con): My Lords, the Government take the safety of all our citizens and communities very seriously; indeed, this is at the core of counterextremism strategy. Following the tragic events in Paris, we are working to take all necessary action: police have increased their presence at important locations and events; advice has been given to places of worship; and we are working with organisations such as Tell MAMA to confront anti-Muslim hatred. The Prime Minister has also announced new funding for the security of mosques.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: I thank the Minister for his reply and am grateful for all that Her Majesty’s Government are doing already. Perhaps I may focus on one particular area. Since those terrible events on 13 November in Paris, some of our national newspapers have run some very disturbing stories about the treatment of British Muslims and minority groups, such as asylum seekers, here. Does the Minister agree that, in modern, democratic Britain, there is no place for misleading headlines and scurrilous cartoons designed to demonise minority groups? Many of us on these Benches have been involved in face-to-face meetings during the past three weeks with members of the Muslim community, who are deeply dismayed and angry at what has happened. What are Her Majesty’s Government doing to counter such unhelpful stories and narratives and to strengthen community relations between minorities and the wider British public?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about preventing violence against Muslims and raises negative media coverage”

Bishop of Coventry asks question about conditions in Camp Liberty

13.10 Bishop of CoventryOn 30th November 2015, the Lord Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, received a written answer to his question about the humanitarian conditions inside Camp Liberty in Iraq.

Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian conditions inside Camp Liberty. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks question about conditions in Camp Liberty”