Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Southwark asks about regulation of identity tracing agencies used in debt recovery

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 9th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to regulate identity tracing agencies in relation to the recovery of debt.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): The Government wants to see fair treatment of individuals in problem debt, and there is a range of work underway across government and regulators to promote responsible practices for debt recovery.

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Bishop of Manchester supports motion to regret on National Networks Policy statement

On 8th May 2024, Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of a Motion to Regret tabled by Lord Berkeley: “That this House regrets the Government’s decision to lay the National Networks National Policy Statement, laid before the House on 6 March, without carrying out the systematic review of road projects recommended by the Climate Change Committee; addressing the risk of insufficient environmental action by the Department for Transport highlighted by the National Audit Office; or joining up their policies with the missions presented to Parliament under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.“

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, as it seems compulsory in this short debate to quote Voltaire, perhaps I might take us to his wonderful creation, Dr Pangloss, who continues to assert:

“All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds”

even while the horrors are descending around him. I feel there is something of that in the statement; it is a bit Panglossian. As noble Lords have already said, we face a climate emergency and crisis, and this statement is not adequate to the seriousness of the situation that we are in.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about decline in uptake of childhood immunisations

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on government plans to address the decline in uptake of childhood immunisations on 8th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the decline in uptake of childhood immunisations.

Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): NHS England’s 2023 vaccination strategy set a range of ambitions, including to improve uptake of children’s vaccines across the board. On mumps, measles and rubella in particular, between January and March the NHS and partners administered around four times as many MMR vaccinations to those aged five to 25 as last year and focused on engaging groups with historically lower vaccination rates. We intend to build on these experiences to further improve uptake.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 8th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the protection of Armenian heritage in Nagorno–Karabakh following the recent destruction of the St John the Baptist Church and the Ghazanchetsots cemetery in Shusha, and the nearby village of Karin Tak/Dashalti.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about humanitarian aid following potential Israeli offensive in Gaza

On 7th May 2024, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the provision of aid following news of a potential new offensive by Israeli forces:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government (1) what representations they are making to the Government of Israel in light of a potential new offensive by Israeli forces, and (2) what humanitarian aid and support of essential services they plan to provide to the region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): My Lords, we want an end to the fighting as soon as possible. Well over six months since Hamas’s terror attack against Israel, it is appalling that hostages are still being held. Too many civilians are also dying in Gaza, and this weekend Hamas rockets killed four IDF soldiers and injured others. As we have said, the fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting in Gaza. It is then that we must turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about funding for SEND school places

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the availability of additional funding for SEND places in schools during a discussion on the removal of the admissions cap on state-funded faith schools on 7th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, Church of England schools will continue our long tradition of seeking to serve the common good and welcoming a huge diversity of people; we are glad to do that. The Minister has spoken about the huge problem of there not being enough special educational needs places. If I have understood this correctly, it means that this will be a new possibility. We in the Church of England would be keen to play our part to help with this, but one issue is the funding available for it, which makes it very difficult to offer. Alongside this announcement, what consideration have His Majesty’s Government given to providing additional funding for those SEND places, which we hope can release more energy into that deprived area?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about accessibility of the Healthy Start Scheme

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 7th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the eligibility criteria, and (2) the available methods of applying, for people aged under 18 with children who are seeking to apply for the NHS Healthy Start scheme.

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Bishop of Lincoln asks about impact of housing asylum seekers in hotels

The Bishop of Lincoln asked a question on local community approaches to asylum seekers being housed in hotels, during a discussion on asylum seekers missing from their registered addresses on 2nd May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, the Minister talked about hotels. The population of seaside towns, such as Skegness, have been very welcoming of asylum seekers staying in hotels. In effect, hotels are a way of monitoring the presence of asylum seekers over time. The frustration of people in Skegness and other coastal towns is that the slow progress in processing asylum seekers is having an impact on the tourist industry, the local economy and jobs in these towns. Is the Minister aware of that?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about occupation of part of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem by Israeli settlers

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 2nd May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the occupation by Israeli settlers of Cows Garden in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem on 3 April.

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Bishop of Lincoln responds to government statement on disability funding reform

On 1st May 2024, the Bishop of Lincoln asked a question following a government statement on health and disability reform, raising the high rate of disability among those experiencing homelessness and asking whether disability reform should be focused on meeting the needs of this cohort rather than tightening eligibility for PIP:

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, I declare an interest as a bishop relating to L’Arche UK and worldwide, which cares for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. The aspiration outlined in the Ministerial Statement to create a Britain in which disabled people can be supported to thrive is one that we all share. At a time of economic challenge, any responsible Government must pursue priorities and make difficult choices, but I have been in your Lordships’ House for 10 years and this kind of Statement reminds me of the circularity of this debate about welfare provision within that 10 years, where we do not seem to have made huge progress. We heard a lot from previous speakers about the varied needs of people with disabilities, some people with temporary health issues and those with severe and enduring mental health conditions. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has noted that almost two-thirds of people living in destitution or direct homelessness have a chronic health condition or disability. These people may be unable to meet their most basic needs to stay warm, fed, dry and clean. Does the Minister agree that energy for further reform of disability benefits might be best applied to meeting the needs of this cohort rather than seeking to make eligibility even tighter?

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