Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 24th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the rise in shoplifting.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rise in shoplifting rates, and illegal medical treatments for epilepsy”
The Bishop of Newcastle led a debate on the impact of bank closures on rural communities on 13th February 2025, raising issues of financial exclusion:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of bank closures in the past decade and the impact on people in rural communities.
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who are taking part in this short debate and look forward to listening to each of the contributions that they will bring. While this debate has its focus on diverse rural communities, I know that the issue before us is not solely rural.
Last month, Lloyds Banking Group announced that it will be close 136 bank branches across the country. The Tyne valley in Northumberland will see another three branches close their doors—two in Hexham and one in Prudhoe—meaning that customers in Hexham will need to travel over 15 miles to Consett to visit their nearest Lloyds branch.
Lloyds’ announcement comes after a decade of decline in the number of high street banks. Figures from Which? show that 6,266 bank branches have closed across the UK over the past 10 years, representing 63% of branches open at the start of 2015. If bank branches continue closing at such a rate, we face living in a society where those unable to bank digitally are financially excluded.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle leads debate on impact of rural bank closures”
The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on safe charging practices for lithium batteries, during a discussion on regulation of e-scooters on 13th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: The theme of this Question seems to be public safety. I noticed that last week two fires were reported in London due to lithium battery failures, one in an e-scooter and one in an e-bike. What consideration are His Majesty’s Government giving to mandatory safety standards for PLEV batteries, and how can we enhance awareness of safe charging practices to protect lives?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about e-scooter battery safety”
The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the impact of new oil projects on net zero targets, and a question on the viability of carbon capture and storage, on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: Perhaps I might make it a bit wider, to avoid putting the Minister in a difficult situation. We have heard that there are a number of projects that have previously been approved to a certain stage and—at the risk of a pun—are in the pipeline. Have the Government made any estimate of the impact that schemes in this sort of pipeline will have on the UK being able to meet its net-zero targets?
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about net zero targets and biomass capture”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on concern in the charity sector over rises in National Insurance on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, there is great concern in the charitable sector about these increases. Can the Minister tell us whether His Majesty’s Government are monitoring the effect on the charitable sector?
Lord Livermore (Lab, Treasury): We of course monitor the effect of all our policies on all sectors of the economy. We have increased the amount of money going to charities, and we will stand by that increased investment.
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to engage positively with Muslim communities, including the Muslim Council of Britain.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about community relations”
The Bishop of St Albans and the Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked what assessment they have made of the M23 rebel group taking control of Goma; and whether they intend to call on Rwanda to withdraw support to the M23 rebels and withdraw from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds and Bishop of St Albans ask about conflict in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo”
The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure that aid distributed to displaced people in Nigeria reaches those displaced by violence in central states committed by armed non-state actors.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about aid to internally displaced populations in Nigeria”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to the government of Iran concerning the execution sentences of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about capital punishment in Iran”
The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 12th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what is their timeline for the full implementation of the ATLAS caseworking system; and whether they expect it to be fully operational in 2025.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about immigration casework”
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