On 17th May 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:
Layan Nasir
Sir Desmond Swayne MP (Con, New Forest West): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations the Church has made to the Israeli government to secure the release of Layan Nasir from administrative detention.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Layan Nasir”The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on international efforts to support civilians and avert a famine in Sudan on 16th May 2024, during a discussion on the ongoing conflict in the country:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I note that I will be in Port Sudan in a couple of weeks’ time. Yesterday, I was at a round table on Sudan with NGOs and expatriates. The Raoul Wallenberg Centre made it clear in its research that there is genocidal intent behind much of what is going on in Darfur. The plea there was: how do we get international protection? We cannot say that we do not know this is coming. There is the perfect storm of famine as well as the massive artillery bombardment around El Fasher going on at the moment.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about ramifications of ongoing conflict in Sudan”The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the need to ensure free and fair elections in Georgia, following a government statement on the conflict in Ukraine and clashes between police and protestors in Georgia on 16th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, given Georgia’s recent history and its rather precarious geographical position, the importance of the upcoming elections in October cannot be overstated. To push a bit further the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, can the Minister explain what active steps the Government are taking to ensure that those elections are free and fair?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about ensuring free and fair elections in Georgia”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 16th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked his Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Chelmsford gave a speech at the second reading of the Renters Reform Bill on 15th May 2024, calling for comprehensive reforms on housing as part of a long term strategy encompassing all tenures, and lamenting the removal of parts of the bill abolishing section 21 evictions:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Best, from whose wisdom and experience I have personally gained such a lot. I am grateful for his contribution today. I declare my interest as the Church of England’s lead bishop for housing. Also, as I am in clergy-tied housing myself, my retirement house is currently let to a long-term tenant.
My starting place is that good homes are the building blocks of strong communities. Bad homes threaten mental and physical well-being, hinder personal and economic development, and compromise safety. Everyone needs a good home so that we have a good society where people can flourish. As others have said, there is much to welcome in the Bill. Private renting is the most insecure and expensive tenure, and it requires significant reform. I am pleased that the decent homes standard will be applied to the private rented sector for the first time. I am also pleased that the Government have tabled amendments to prohibit landlords and letting agencies from discriminating against families with children and people in receipt of benefits. I will seek more details on how this will work in practice.
Continue reading “Renters Reform Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford speaks in support of comprehensive housing strategy reform”
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following the publication of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality on 22 April.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)”
The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what diplomatic action they are taking, along with international partners, to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Sudan; and what consideration they have given to appointing a dedicated envoy for Sudan.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about diplomatic efforts to secure a resolution to the conflict in Sudan”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con, DLUHC): The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £64.7 billion, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion or 7.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. This above-inflation increase demonstrates how the Government stands behind councils up and down the country. Furthermore, we recognise the importance and difficulties of councils serving dispersed populations. That is why we have increased the value of the Rural Services Delivery Grant by over 15%, from £95 million to £110 million in 2024-25. This is the highest increase since 2018-19, and the second successive year of above-inflation increases.
We last calculated the Settlement Funding Assessment in 2013/14. The Government is committed to reforming the local government funding landscape in the next Parliament to deliver simpler, fairer and longer settlements.
The Rural Services Delivery Grant is allocated to local authorities ranking in the top-quartile of sparsely populated areas in England, using the Government’s ‘Super Sparsity’ measure. The methodology is unchanged from 2023-24 and any funding decisions beyond the 2024-25 financial year are a matter for the next Spending Review.
The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of low rates of breastfeeding on incidences of breast cancer.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of low rates of breast-feeding on breast cancer”
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