Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the efficacy of sanitary felling in slowing the spread of Dutch elm disease
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about efforts to combat the spread of Dutch elm disease”
The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on government efforts to help coordinate Russian anti-war organisations based in the UK, following a government statement on the conflict in Ukraine on 28th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am grateful for what the Minister has said. It is understandable that the murder of Alexei Navalny is commanding the headlines, but there are other opposition leaders, a number of whom are in prison and possibly facing the same fate as Navalny.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about support for Russian anti-war organisations in the UK”On 28th February 2024, the Archbishop of York asked a question on whether the government had assessed a recent proposal by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust for the introduction of an “essentials guarantee” to universal credit, during a discussion on the adequacy of the housing benefit subsidy for temporary accommodation:
The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his commitment to trying to make headway on this issue. We are all aware of the terrible strains that local authorities are under because of temporary accommodation being necessary and, of course, we also know that the reason is that incomes are just not meeting housing needs. Have the Government assessed the recent proposal from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust for what they call an essentials guarantee? This would guarantee that universal credit was enough to cover the essentials—rent—which would therefore reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation, creating a virtuous cycle that would reduce the budget strain on local councils.
Continue reading “Archbishop of York asks about introduction of an essentials guarantee for benefits claimants”On 28th February 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:
Church of England: Finance
Mr Gregory Campbell MP (DUP, East Londonderry): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church plans to commission an independent review of funds allocated by the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Finance”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 28th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what further steps they plan to take to support and protect upland and hill farmers to offset any loss of income they face under the new environmental land management schemes.
Lord Douglas-Miller (Con, DEFRA): Upland farmers play a vital role in managing some of our most important and iconic landscapes, which are valued and recognised by the public. In addition to farming, the management of upland landscapes can provide many environmental benefits and ecosystem services, including clean air and water, carbon sequestration and flood risk management.
Upland farmers are well placed to benefit from our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, which are designed to maintain sustainable, productive land which delivers for both farmers and the environment.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about support for farmers affected by Environmental Land Management Schemes”The Bishop of Manchester spoke in a discussion on issues with the Avanti train service on 27th February 2024, expressing support for the train staff working under difficult conditions and inviting the government to do the same:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, a number of times in this short session, we seem to have had it suggested that somehow the Avanti staff are to blame. I suffer along with the noble Lord, Lord Goddard, regularly on that Manchester Piccadilly to Euston route. The staff are wonderful; it is not the driver’s fault if they are eight minutes late, or the fault of the person bringing you a cup of tea if they are 40 minutes late. The problem does not lie with the Avanti staff, who are working under incredibly difficult conditions. Can the Minister join me in expressing support for those staff in the work that they are doing under very trying circumstances?
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester comments on pressures faced by Avanti train staff”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 27th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to increasing the fixed-penalty fine for fly-tipping to a maximum of £2,000.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about financial penalties for fly-tipping and livestock worrying”The Bishop of St Albans receives the following written answer on 27th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on steps being taken to increase release of prisoners on temporary licence to encourage rehabilitation and help with finding work, during a discussion on employment of people with criminal convictions on 26th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, from these Benches I add our own sadness at the death of Lord Cormack. His contributions to this House and to the Church will be sorely missed.
As has been said, there has been a serious decline in rehabilitation and release planning services in recent years. Prisoners need to be engaged with purposeful work; there needs to be planning ahead of their release—including release on temporary licence—to secure employment, if we are to prevent reoffending. What steps are the Government taking to increase release on temporary licence?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about release of prisoners on temporary licence”On 26th February 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Churches: Nigeria
Sir Edward Leigh MP (Con, Gainsborough): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church has had discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the attack on the St Francis Xavier Church in Owo, Nigeria in 2022; and whether the Church is providing aid for the victims of that attack.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Churches in Nigeria, Silent Discos, Asylum, Independent Safeguarding Board, CofE Staff, and Church Finances”
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