Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of the two-child limit for child benefit on poverty

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 27th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Markham on 11 March (HL Deb col 1802), and taking account of the latest Households Below Average Income data, which shows a 300,000 increase in the number of children living in absolute poverty in the past year, what assessment they have made of the impact on health and well-being of the two-child limit for child benefit; and what assessment they have made of the strengths and weaknesses of using the measure of absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.

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Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about accommodation for members of the armed forces

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich received the following written answer on 27th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked His Majesty’s Government what consultation they undertook with service personnel and their families regarding the Modernised Accommodation Offer for the armed forces.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Clergy – Universal Credit

On 26th March 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Rachael Maskell MP (Lab, York Central): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Commissioners have had discussions with the Department of Work and Pensions on the potential impact of the migration of claimants of Child Tax Credit to Universal Credit on the financial position of members of the clergy.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about impact of UN Resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on 26th March 2024, querying the potential impact of the resolution and whether it would affect countries such as Russia, China & Iran supplying weapons for the conflict:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, given that UN resolutions are not always seen through, as it were, or observed, is the Minister optimistic that this resolution will have the impact we want it to have? What impact will it have on countries like Russia, China and Iran continuing to supply weapons?

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Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about environmental land management and sustainable farming initiatives

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked a question on ongoing assessment of environmental land management and sustainable farming schemes during a discussion on food security on 26th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I indicate my interests as listed in the register and pay tribute to farmers. As the Minister has said, the priorities are food production and environmental quality, including rebuilding biodiversity, restoring clean air and water and prioritising the rebuilding of healthy soils. What ongoing assessment is being made of the current ELMS and SFI programmes to meet these aims?

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about limiting solar plants on agricultural land

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 26th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to limiting the size of solar plants in areas of best and most versatile agricultural land.

Lord Callanan (Con, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero): Planning policy and associated guidance set out that the effective use of land should be prioritised by directing large scale solar projects to locate on previously developed and non-greenfield land.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about impact of introduction of physicians assistants in NHS settings

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 26th March 2024:

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

  • what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS staff have sufficient capacity to supervise and support new associate staff.
  • what steps they are taking to ensure that there is clarity for patients about different roles within clinical teams in healthcare settings, including regarding anaesthesia and physician associates.
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Bishop of Oxford speaks on freedom of religion and belief and need for universal human rights to be respected

The Bishop of Oxford spoke in a debate on what steps the government are taking to support persecuted Christians around the world on 25th March 2024, highlighting the importance of freedom of religion and belief in the context of broader human rights, and calling for the government to inform the House of future strategies to promote freedom of religion and support those facing persecution:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I too add my congratulations and appreciation to the noble Baroness, Lady Foster, on securing this important debate and her comprehensive and moving survey and speech. It is a pleasure to follow the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Carey, and I pay tribute to his considerable expertise in this area over many years. I am grateful to my colleague, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Winchester, formerly the Bishop of Truro, for a briefing in advance of this debate. He is not able to be present, but I know he will follow deliberations closely.

As the noble Baroness, Lady Foster, set out so eloquently, the beginning of Holy Week is a fitting time to remember the persecution of Christians across the world and the costs of faith. This persecution has been evident since the very beginning of the Church. Even so, it is extremely sobering and moving to reflect that, according to Open Doors, 365 million Christians face some sort of persecution worldwide—about one in seven of the global Christian population. I also note with other noble Lords the disproportionate consequences and costs for women and girls.

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Bishop of Hereford welcomes new fair dealing regulations for the dairy farming sector

The Bishop of Hereford spoke in a debate on the draft Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations on 25th March 2024, welcoming the new regulations and the benefits they would bring to the dairy farming sector:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I applaud His Majesty’s Government for these new contract regulations. They are both comprehensive and long overdue in addressing matters of serious injustice in the dairy farming sector. Unfair milk contracts have been an area of concern for the dairy sector for many years, going back to the voluntary code of practice for dairy contracts, introduced in 2012. In their current form, most milk contracts do not create mutually balanced business relationships between buyers and sellers. Rights and obligations are often heavily biased in favour of buyers.

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Victims and Prisoners Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment to facilitate data collection on families and prisons

On 25th March 2024,the Bishop of Gloucester gave a speech and moved the following amendment during a debate on the Victims and Prisoners Bill:

172: After Clause 56, insert the following new Clause—

“Data collection in relation to children of prisoners: The Secretary of State must collect and publish annual data identifying—(a) how many prisoners are the primary carers of a child,(b) how many children have a primary carer who is a prisoner, and(c) the ages of those children.”

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, tabled this amendment, to which I am very pleased to add my name in support and to move it today in this final stage of Committee on the Bill. In his absence, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the noble Lord for his commitment to the families of prisoners. This is also an issue which I know my right reverend friend the Archbishop of Canterbury cares deeply about, as well.

This amendment was selected for Report stage in the other place but not discussed. Introduced by Harriet Harman, it is an important progress chaser to the Government’s response to the 2019 report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, which she then chaired. This proposed new clause would require the Secretary of State to collect and publish annual data, identifying how many prisoners are primary carers of a child or children, how many children have a primary carer in prison, and the ages of those children. Its inclusion would be highly appropriate for this Bill, which focuses on both victims and prisoners.

When a parent is committed to custody, their child should not also receive a sentence; they should not be punished or overlooked as a result of their parent’s crime. 

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