Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
On Tuesday 16th June 2015 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on gaming machines.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reducing the maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2.
On 15th June 2015 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received two written answers from Government to questions about the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans:
(1) To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to providing eligible families with the Warm Home Discount automatically.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about fuel poverty”
On the 11th June 2015 Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty’s Government “what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the confirmation of a sentence of 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison against Raif Badawi.” The Bishop of St Albans , Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a supplementary question:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, your Lordships’ House will not be unaware of the discrepancy between the attitude to human rights displayed in Saudi Arabia’s public condemnation of the Charlie Hebdo atrocities and this case, where somebody is being punished on the basis of religion. Does the Minister agree that there is a considerable dissonance between the public image that Saudi Arabia is seeking to present and the country’s internal affairs?
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: My Lords, I think we have to recognise that the actions of the Saudi Government in these respects have the support of the vast majority of the Saudi population. Against that background, we maintain our view that freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression are core rights that lead to long-term stability and good governance.
(via Parliament.uk)
On 10th June 2015 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, received a written answer to a question she had asked of DEFRA on bats in churches.
Asked by Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden) on: 04 June 2015
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bats: Churches
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the application and interpretation of provisions in the Habitats Directive on bats inhabiting church premises in other EU member states. Continue reading “Rules on bats in churches – Second Estates Commissioner asks DEFRA”
On 9th June 2015 Baroness Gardner of Parkes asked the Government “what plans they have to consult Housing Associations, local authorities and the general public before finalising the proposal to extend the right to buy to Housing Association properties”. The Bishop of Rochester, Rt Revd James Langstaff, asked a supplementary question:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for confirming that intention to consult the sector. Is she able to offer any indication of how Her Majesty’s Government propose to implement this right to buy in relation to housing-association properties in small and rural communities, where such housing is often built on rural exception sites defined in the National Planning Policy Framework as intended,
“for affordable housing in perpetuity”?
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The right reverend Prelate is absolutely correct when he says that rural communities are different. The development of that particular policy is ongoing, and details will be set out in due course.
(via Parliament.uk)
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.
Answered 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”
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:
The 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)
Mrs Caroline 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)”
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 L
ords, 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”
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:
Lord 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)
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