Bishop of Winchester asks about freedom of religion and belief in India

On 16th April 2024, the Bishop of Winchester tabled a question to the Foreign Secretary on the current state of freedom of religion and belief in India:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs what assessment he has made of the current state of freedom of religion or belief in India.

Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con, Foreign Secretary): My Lords, India is a multifaith, multiethnic democracy and remains among the most religiously diverse societies in the world. It is home to 966 million Hindus, 172 million Muslims, 28 million Christians, 20 million Sikhs, 8 million Buddhists and 4.5 million Jains. India is committed via its constitution to freedom of religion and belief. Where specific issues or concerns arise, the UK Government of course raise these directly with the Government of India.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about food security in the event of flooding or extreme weather

The Bishop of Newcastle asked a question on government plans to ensure food security in the event of extreme weather events and flooding affecting supply lines on 16th April 2024, during a discussion on compensation for farmers affected by flooding:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: Climate change and global events have exposed the vulnerability of relying on imported foods. Given the extreme weather events and flooding, the likelihood that this will continue and the impact on farming, what plans do the Government have in place to ensure food security?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about pandemic preparedness

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on whether the government has established a communications plan in the event of another pandemic, during a discussion on pandemic preparedness on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, do the Government have a pre-prepared communications plan for the eventuality of another pandemic—which could be next week, next year or whatever—so that it is not made up on the hoof? We remember that, in 2016, there was a big exercise in London which was forgotten about when we got to the actual pandemic. Are those provisions being put in now and preparations being made?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about mental health of young people in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network World Happiness Report, published on 20 March; in particular, the finding that the happiness of young people under the age of 30 in the UK has declined.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about use of weapons manufactured in the UK in Israel-Gaza conflict

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked what steps they are taking to ensure that weapons manufactured in the UK and sold under export licences are not being used to commit or facilitate violations of international human law in Gaza and in contravention of the Arms Trade Treaty ratified by the UK on 2 April 2014.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of the agricultural transition on food production and farm business viability

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they will undertake an assessment of the impact of the agricultural transition on food production and farm business viability.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about housing conditions for asylum seekers

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:

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

  •  following the publication of their rough sleeping statistics on 29 February which showed a 965.91 per cent increase from July to December 2023 in people sleeping rough after leaving asylum support over the previous 85 days, what consideration they have given to extending the move-on period from 28 days to 56 days for refugees leaving asylum support; and what assessment they have made of the impact this extension would have on homelessness.
  • what assessment they have made of the benefits of staggering evictions of refugees from Home Office accommodation, particularly where the person is working with their local authority or a third sector organisation, to prevent their homelessness.
  • what plans they have to work with the third sector to jointly create a comprehensive and properly funded transition process for people whose asylum support is due to end, to enable information and support around housing and benefits to be given as far in advance as possible.
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Bishop of Leicester asks about parental leave and paternity pay

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what proportion of new fathers have taken (1) their full statutory paternity leave entitlement, and (2) shared parental leave, in each year since 2017.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about effect of period poverty on the economy

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of value lost to the economy through period inequity, as set out in the report, The State of Period Equity in the UK, published by In Kind Direct on 29 February.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about effects of drug shortages caused by exiting the EU

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th July 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made, if any, of how many preventable hospitalisations have occurred as a result of medication shortages caused by Brexit.

Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): The medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global. Supply disruption is an issue which affects the United Kingdom as well as the other countries around the world, and it can have a variety of causes, including manufacturing issues, problems with access to raw ingredients, and sudden spikes in demand.

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