Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Manchester asks about uprating universal credit for care leavers

The Bishop of Manchester tabled a question on the potential benefits of bringing the rate of Universal Credit for care leavers under 25 in line with the rate for over-25s on 13th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of bringing the rate of Universal Credit for care leavers under 25 in line with the rate for over-25s.

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Bishop of Bristol asks about waiting times for identifying victims of modern slavery

On 13th may 2024, the Bishop of Bristol tabled a question on waiting times for decisions under the National Referral Mechanism for modern slavery:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce waiting times for ‘conclusive grounds’ decisions under the National Referral Mechanism for modern slavery.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): My Lords, the Government remain committed to ensuring that victims are identified promptly. We have taken steps to shorten the timelines for making decisions in the national referral mechanism, including new guidance for making reasonable grounds decisions, changes to the online referral form and setting timescales for information to be provided to the competent authorities. We have also significantly increased staffing for the competent authorities and are seeing the results through increased output of decisions.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about impact of construction of the Norwich West Link dual-carriageway

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 13th May 2024:

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

  • what discussions they have had with (1) Natural England, and (2) Norfolk County Council, about the proposed construction of the Norwich West Link.
  • further to the Natural England report Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for barbastelle bat, published on 8 March, which placed “favourable conservation status” on barbastelle bats present in the area of the Norwich Western Link, what assessment they have made of the viability of the construction of the Norwich West Link.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about homelessness among refugees

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 10th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent Refugee Council report Keys to the City 2024: ending refugee homelessness in London and its finding that in the two years to September 2023, there was a 239 per cent increase in refugees requiring homelessness support from local authorities after being evicted from Home Office asylum accommodation.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about disability and employment

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 10th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to undertake an impact assessment of the closure of the Work and Health Programme this autumn and the impact of this on enabling disabled people to enter the job market.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about evaluation of the two-child benefit cap

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 10th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 24 April (HL3765), what plans they have to collect data to evaluate the success of the two-child benefit cap, especially in relation to the statements in the 2015 Impact Assessment which suggest the two-child limit would (1) encourage parents to consider their readiness to support an additional child, (2) help people move into sustained employment, and (3) provide incentives to have fewer children.

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Bishop of Hereford asks about impact of transition to universal credit for those with work-tied housing

The Bishop of Hereford received the following written answers on 10th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of transiting from tax credits to Universal Credit on people who live in accommodation tied to their work; and whether they undertook any consultation with ministers of religion or other cohorts particularly affected by these proposed changes.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about illegal hare coursing

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the issue of illegal hare coursing during a discussion on rural crime on 9th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, it is recognised that one niche area of rural crime by organised crime groups is laundering money through events such as illegal hare coursing, which is causing a huge problem. We were very grateful for the recent support of the Government in trying to bring an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, but is the Minister sure that the new police and crime commissioners not only understand the problem but have the right training in place so the law can be implemented?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of Tesco-Booker merger on small, independent, and rural businesses

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

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the impact of the Tesco-Booker merger on independent shopkeepers.
  • whether they plan to make an assessment of the impact of the Tesco-Booker merger on rural small businesses, such as post offices and village stores.
  • what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes recently introduced by Booker on independent retailers.
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Bishop of Leeds asks about dual citizen held in prison in Russia

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

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what information they hold on Vladimir Kara-Murza, held in prison in Russia, and the state of his health.

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