Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many professionals the Forced Marriage Unit delivered training to in 2023; and how many people took the Forced Marriage Unit’s “Awareness of Forced Marriage” free online course in 2023.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about training on forced marriage”
The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 26th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about government plans to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 26th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of household waste and recycling centre closures on incidences of fly-tipping.
Lord Douglas-Miller (Con, DEFRA): We have previously commissioned research into the drivers, deterrents and impacts of fly-tipping that suggested any friction in the system relating to the use of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), which have negative impacts on cost or convenience, can act as provocations for normally law-abiding people or businesses to fly-tip or give their waste to someone who goes on to fly-tip. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires waste disposal authorities to provide places for residents to deposit household waste. It is a Local Authority responsibility to manage suitable availability.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about domestic waste management systems”The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answers on 26th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked what proportion of Official Development Assistance has been spent on ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration and tree planting internationally in the last five years, and what proportion of Official Development Assistance is forecast to be spent in these areas in the next budget period.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about amount of development aid spent on ecosystem conservation”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of ash trees infected with the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus in the year 2023.
Lord Douglas-Miller (Con, DEFRA): The Government does not collect data on the number of individual ash trees that have become infected with ash dieback, but the disease is now present in all counties and is predicted to kill over 100 million trees in the UK. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus is spread via spores which can spread for considerable distances in the wind before infecting another ash tree. This means it is not possible to limit the spread of the disease. Some local authorities conduct annual surveys of ash trees to track local spread and decline and inform their management strategies.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about Ash Dieback Disease”The Bishop of Worcester asked a question in response to a government statement on the closure of the UK Interfaith Network on 22nd February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, I too pay tribute to the work of the Inter Faith Network. As has been stated, surely the optics of this are not good. I would like to ask the Minister how far non-engagement extends, because surely, in our society, we want to encourage dialogue, even with those organisations that may express some views with which we disagree. To not be willing to engage at all with an organisation that has not been proscribed goes against all the efforts being made to bring our society together—it seems very strange.
Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester responds to government statement on the closure of the UK Interfaith Network”On 22nd February 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following answers to MPs in the House of Commons:
Theft: Security of Church Buildings
Greg Smith MP (Con, Buckingham) asked: Whether the commissioners have issued recent guidance to church parishes on securing buildings to prevent theft.
Bob Blackman MP (Con, Harrow East) asked: Whether the Commissioners have issued recent guidance to church parishes on securing buildings to help prevent theft.
Andrew Selous MP (Con, South West Bedfordshire): Before I reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham, may I pass on my condolences, and I am sure those of the whole House, to the family and friends of Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckingham, who died suddenly last Saturday?
There is comprehensive advice to all parishes on the Church of England website about how to keep buildings secure, which we regularly update. All buildings used for religious worship are also eligible for the Home Office’s hate crime protection scheme.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Questions: Theft from Church Buildings, Asylum Seekers, Same Sex Relationships, and Churches on the World Watch List”The Bishop of Chichester asked a question on the impact of the closure of the UK Inter-Faith Network on 21st February 2024, following the withdrawal of funding from the network by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities:
The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, this is an extremely difficult time, in which we hear profoundly disturbing reports of the rise in race and faith-based hate crimes. Tomorrow, the board of the UK’s Inter Faith Network will meet to confirm its closure following the withdrawal of funding by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. This comes at a time when we urgently need to promote interfaith dialogue and the expansion of religious literacy in schools, as has been mentioned, and elsewhere. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made of the impact of the closure of the Inter Faith Network, and what will replace it?
Continue reading “Bishop of Chichester asks about closure of the UK Inter-Faith Network”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of UK-based protection and indemnity insurance underwriting the shipping of Russian oil and products.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about UK-based insurance of Russian oil and products”The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked a question on the disparity in funding between managing flood risks and coastal erosion on during a discussion on the adequacy of Environment Agency expenditure on flood defences on 20th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I thought my question was going to be off the point. One of the issues raised frequently with me by those managing the coastline in Suffolk is the disparity between flooding risks, for which the Environment Agency takes responsibility, and coastal erosion, which is managed by local authorities. What assessment have the Government made of the disparity of funding for these two vital activities?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about funding for coastal erosion and flood defences”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.