Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 7th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they will consider increasing their funding for the World Food Programme to enable the Programme to restore its monthly food vouchers for Rohingya refugees to the full value of 12.50 US dollars.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about delivery of food vouchers to Rohingya refugees”
The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on 7th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked His Majesty’s Government how many people who have arrived into the UK illegally since 1 January 2022 and who would therefore be eligible for removal to Rwanda have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism for modern slavery.
Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about modern slavery referrals for migrants arriving illegally in the UK”The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on the state of local authority finances on 6th February 2024, pointing out the need for long term planning of financial strategies to allow local authorities to better implement their spending:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the state of the finances of local authorities.
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name and declare my interest, as set out in the register, as a vice-president of the Local Government Association.
Baroness Penn (Con): We have listened carefully to local authorities about the pressure that they are facing. That is why we have announced that the final local government finance settlement for 2024-25 will now make available £64.7 billion, an increase of 7.5% in cash terms on last year and above inflation. The department continually monitors the local government sector through data and direct engagement with individual councils. This includes considering the impact of inflation and wider economic circumstances.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about state of local authority finances in the UK”The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the importance of de-carbonising heating on 6th February 2024, asking whether the government would refute speculation that they were considering a U-turn on this policy:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, as the Minister will know, net zero is impossible without decarbonising heating. The clean heat market mechanism is a crucial part of that. Does he recognise its importance? Will he refute media speculation that the Government are considering a U-turn on it? Will he make representations to boiler manufacturers that are unfairly passing these costs on to consumers?
Lord Douglas Miller (Con): Again, I will write to the right reverend Prelate in due course. I am doing rather a lot of writing today, am I not? This is a broad subject which I am slowly getting my head around.
The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 6th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what financial assistance they are providing to support projects undertaken by faith groups and others to support ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration internationally.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Norwich asks about assistance for faith groups working in conservation and environmental restoration”The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on progress in early detection of osteoporosis on 5th February 2024, during a debate on plans to invest in NHS Fracture Liaison Services in England:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Black, for his dedicated work in bringing this important topic to the attention of the House. Around this time a year ago, the noble Lord asked another Question on the early detection of osteoporosis, which is the leading cause of fractures in those aged over 50, particularly women. In his answer, the Minister, who is answering the Question again today, noted that
“a fractured femur is the second biggest reason for intake into hospitals, in terms of beds”—[Official Report, 19/1/23; col. 1926]
and that he would be happy to report on progress on this to the House. Will he tell us whether any progress has been made since he gave that answer one year ago?
Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about early detection methods for osteoporosis”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, in their capacity as penholder for Myanmar at the UN Security Council, to help find solutions to the Rohingya refugee crisis, and particularly to create the conditions necessary for safe, dignified, and voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about UK efforts to help resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): The Government recognises the vital role SMEs play in fuelling economic growth, and it is important they can access the banking services they need.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about access to bank accounts and services for small businesses”The Bishop of London asked a question about accessible green spaces on 1st February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it was welcome to see the introduction of funding for opening new permissive access in the latest update to the agricultural transition plan, released in January. According to the Ramblers, access to public rights of way and the time in nature that they provide is deeply unequal. Can the Minister explain how this funding will be steered towards routes that are most needed, and how she will ensure that these new routes are of sufficiently high quality to be accessible to as many people as possible?
Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about access to green spaces”The Bishop of Manchester tabled a question on rising costs of temporary accommodation affecting local authorities on 31st January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on local authority finances caused by the rising cost of temporary accommodation.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): My Lords, local authorities deliver vital homelessness services, and we recognise the pressure that the cost of temporary accommodation places on councils. As we announced recently, total core spending power for councils in England will rise by 7.5% for 2023-24 to 2024-25—an above-inflation increase. In addition, we are providing more than £1 billion over three years to councils through the homelessness prevention grant, with a further £120 million UK-wide funding in 2024-25, announced at Autumn Statement, to help prevent homelessness.
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about rising costs of temporary accommodation”
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