Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Written answers: Female and LGBT clergy numbers in the CofE

On 8th June 2015 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, replied to two written parliamentary questions, on women and LGBT clergy.

Asked by Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) on: 02 June 2015

Clergy: Females

To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how many members of the clergy in each of the last 10 years have been women.

Caroline SpelmanAnswered by: Mrs Caroline Spelman on: 08 June 2015

The most recent statistics available on the number of women in ordained ministry in the Church of England can be found in the table below. Continue reading “Written answers: Female and LGBT clergy numbers in the CofE”

Bishop of Durham asks about creation of jobs and apprenticeships through brownfield construction

On 3rd June 2015, Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to encourage the use of brownfield sites in the North of England for public and private housing developments. The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, asked a supplementary question:

14.06.10 Bishop of Durham 5The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, the low levels of value in the north of England—the north-east as much as the north-west—have already been noted. Does the Minister recognise that one incentive is the possible creation of jobs and apprenticeships in things like bricklaying, plumbing and so forth, which we are desperately in need of in our region and in the nation as a whole?

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The right reverend Prelate makes an excellent point. Because of the speed and the size of housing development—indeed of construction in general—we now find ourselves needing to upskill those people who we need to do those jobs through apprenticeships, as he says, and through other initiatives. This is what lies behind the idea of the northern powerhouse—that the north will play its part in economic growth, as well as the south of England.

(via Parliament.uk)

Church Commissioner Question – Bats in Churches (Written Answer)

Church Commissioners – Written Question
Churches: Bats
Bill Wiggin (North Herefordshire): To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on changes to planning regulations that could increase the supply of places suitable for bat roosts and reduce the incidence of bats roosting in churches.

Mrs CaroCaroline Spelmanline Spelman: Following the General Election the Church Commissioners plan to seek an early meeting with the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding changing the regulations on bat roosts. In recent years the Church of England has seen increased numbers of bats using church buildings as roosts. Continue reading “Church Commissioner Question – Bats in Churches (Written Answer)”

The Bishop of Norwich presses Government on Humanitarian Aid for Libya

On Monday 1st June 2015 Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty’s Government what progress they and their international partners have made in deterring the trafficking of migrants and creating safe havens in North Africa and the Middle East. The Bishop of Norwich asked a supplementary question:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My L14.06.12 Bishop of Norwichords, what will become of the refugees and migrants who are trapped in Libya? Since neighbouring countries have closed their borders and current plans are to sink the boats that are smuggling people from Libya, are these refugees and migrants simply consigned to certain abuse and death? Can we do nothing at all to help them? Continue reading “The Bishop of Norwich presses Government on Humanitarian Aid for Libya”

Bishop of Bristol- Mental Health (Written Answer)

On 25th March 2015 the Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, received an answer from the Government to a written question on places of safety, as designated under the Mental Health Act:

14.03 Bishop of BristolLord Bishop of Bristol: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many places of safety have been provided under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983; and what assessment they have made of the geographic spread of such places.

Earl Howe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health): The Care Quality Commission has created an interactive web-based map showing the location of designated health-based places of safety in England for people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983:

http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/map-health-based-places-safety-0

The current version shows 167 places of safety in England.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of Worcester- Extractives Industry (Written Answer)

On 25th March 2015, the Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, received answers to written questions on regulation of the extractives industry:

WorcesterThe Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they will take against extractives industry companies which seek to subvert the intention behind the Reports on Payments to Governments Regulations 2014.

Baroness Neville Rolfe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills): The Government expects companies to comply with the requirements of the Reports on Payments to Government Regulations 2014.

The Regulations, which came into effect on 1 December 2014, set out the enforcement and penalty regime for any company that fails to comply in part or in full. It is a matter for the company to ensure that it is fully complying with the requirements. On a criminal conviction for not doing so the penalty may be a fine or a term of imprisonment for the directors of the company.

Reports made annually by companies under these Regulations will be published on Companies House website where both government and other interested parties will be able to consider the reports and their accuracy.

Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester- Extractives Industry (Written Answer)”

Archbishop of Canterbury asks Government about Nigerian Presidential election

On 25th March 2015 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, received an answer to a written question about the forthcoming Presidential election in Nigeria:

Archbishop of CanterburyThe Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the prospects for a free and fair Presidential election in Nigeria in 2015, and (2) progress made by the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission towards minimising the possibility of electoral fraud. [HL5761]

Continue reading “Archbishop of Canterbury asks Government about Nigerian Presidential election”

Bishop of Peterborough highlights rural deprivation

On 25th March 2015 Lord Phillips of Sudbury asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they would establish a Royal Commission to investigate threats to community life in the United Kingdom and their effects; and to recommend counter-measures. The Bishop of Peterborough, Rt Revd Donald Allister, asked a supplementary quesion:

14.02 PeterboroughThe Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, community life struggles and suffers very much in rural areas as well as in urban areas. While welcoming the promise of a 95% rollout of superfast broadband, does the Minister appreciate that the other 5% represents more than 3 million people who are almost all in rural areas and will not have access to superfast broadband or, all too often, to post offices, gas supplies, public transport, local schools and so on? Is this not the time to have a royal commission?

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Lords Spokesperson, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills): My Lords, the right reverend Prelate is correct when he says that some of the infrastructure in rural communities, such as shops, schools, and post offices in particular, is their lifeblood. I commend the rural communities in, for example, Cumbria that have done their own social action project to make sure that broadband gets to their communities. The right reverend Prelate is right that the remaining 5% of the population do not having superfast broadband, but the Government are working on that.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of Winchester asks Government about support for religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria

On 19th March 2015  Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty’s Government “what is the strategy of the United States-led coalition for clearing the Daesh out of the territories which they currently occupy in Syria and Iraq.” The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Rev Tim Dakin, asked a supplementary quesion:

Bishop of WinchesterThe Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, even if the current operations to clear Daesh prove successful, the ancient religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq have an uncertain future. Does the Minister agree with the statement recently submitted by the Holy See to the United Nations Human Rights Council? It said that a future without these communities in Iraq and the Middle East risks,

“new forms of violence, exclusion, and the absence of peace and development”.

Therefore, what steps are being taken to secure the future of those communities, and in particular, their human right to religious freedom? Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks Government about support for religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria”

Church Commissioners answers to written questions on Funding Mission & Ministry and the reburial of King Richard III

tony CCQ1The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Canon Sir Tony Baldry MP, answered written questions from Anne McIntosh MP relating to the funding of mission & ministry in the Church of England and Hugh Bayley MP relating to the reburial of King Richard III.

Continue reading “Church Commissioners answers to written questions on Funding Mission & Ministry and the reburial of King Richard III”