Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Leeds asks about plans to improve the transport network in the North of England

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on plans to revitalise the transport network in the North of England on 23rd July 2024, particularly regarding rail connectivity:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, one of the mysteries of HS2 was that you could get to places like Leeds 16 minutes quicker, but you could not get anywhere else when you got there because of deficiencies in the northern network. What confidence can we have that any other plans that come forward will be realised and improve the situation in the north?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about number of women rough sleeping in England

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many women in England were rough sleeping in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con, DLUHC): The annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot(opens in a new tab) includes the number of women estimated to be sleeping rough in England on a single night in autumn between 2019 and 2023.

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Bishop of Lichfield asks about faith literacy in public institutions

The Bishop of Lichfield received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the faith literacy of those on the public payroll, including (1) civil servants, (2) the police, (3) NHS staff, and (4) HM Prison and Probation Service staff.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of use of cash in purchasing everyday goods and services

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect the use of cash in the purchasing of everyday goods and services.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about children’s services regulations and funding

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase investment in children’s services and provide updated funding formulae to (1) direct resources according to deprivation-based need, and (2) account for changing levels of deprivation.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about provision of food aid to Malawi

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what is their response to the state of disaster declared due to the drought and resultant food shortages in Malawi, and whether they plan to provide additional aid to Malawi.

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Bishop of Hereford asks about government approach to intrafaith issues and community relations

The Bishop of Hereford received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the review by Colin Bloom Does government ‘do God?’ An independent review into how government engages with faith, published on 26 April 2023, in particular, the recommendation that “more could be done to resource and equip policy makers and officials to increase their level of awareness and discernment regarding intrafaith issues concerning exploitation and abuse”; and what steps they are taking in response.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about reducing misuse of alcoholic drinks

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government:

  •  further to data released by the Office for National Statistics Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2022, published on 22 April, which showed that the North-East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region in 2022, what steps they are taking to reduce alcohol-related harm in that region.
  • following the publication of data by the Office for National Statistics Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2022 on 22 April, which revealed that 2022 was the highest year on record for deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, what plans they have to publish an alcohol-specific strategy.
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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of and funding to address pollution

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact that withdrawing funding for the Air Quality Grant Scheme will have on public health.

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Church Commissioners Questions: Affordable & Sustainable Housing, Diocesan Support: Interregnums, Educational Attainment: Church Schools, Parish Churches: Funding, Academy Schools, and Support for People in Gaza

On 23rd May 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:

Affordable and Sustainable Housing

Selaine Saxby MP (Con, North Devon) asked: Whether the Church of England is taking steps to provide affordable and sustainable housing on its land. (902965)

Andrew Selous MP (Con, South West Bedfordshire): I can tell my hon. Friend that the Church Commissioners are bringing forward substantial new amounts of housing across England, including affordable homes, in accordance with local planning policy in the areas concerned. Where the commissioners are able to, we also seek to go further— for example, through the use of rural exception sites to provide a higher proportion of affordable housing than the local plan requires.

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