Bishop of Manchester asks about rising costs of temporary accommodation

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.

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Bishop of London asks about impact of Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences on rates of suicide and self harm

The Bishop of London asked a question on the impact of IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) Sentences on prisoners, particularly with regard to increased risks of self harm and suicide, on 31st January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, the recently announced proposed change to the recall period for serving IPP sentences is welcomed. What assessment has the Minister made of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s recommendation that prisoners’ IPP status should be considered as a potential risk factor for suicide and self-harm?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about ensuring fair charges in the motor finance market

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 31st January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the investigation launched by the Financial Conduct Authority on 11 January into the motor finance market, what long-term plans they have to ensure customers are charged fair and transparent prices in that market.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): The government believes it is vital that consumers have access to a healthy, competitive and sustainable motor finance market to enable them to spread the cost of a vehicle in a way that is manageable and affordable.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about medical care for migrant detainees at MOD Wethersfield

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 31st Janaury 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 December 2023 (HL597), how often is the doctor at the onsite primary healthcare available to hold in-person consultations for residents.

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Bishop of London asks about support for those with English as an additional language to access community services

The Bishop of London asked a question on community support strategies for those speaking English as an additional language and those with disabilities on 30th January 2024, during a discussion on the impact of the local authority Household Support Fund:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, groups such as those with English as an additional language and disabled people face higher barriers to accessing local crisis support. Will the Government in their evaluation consider the strategies that are in place, or could be put in place, to ensure that those who face barriers can access local crisis support?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about changes to HMRC telephone services

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure customers are adequately supported given recent changes to HMRC’s phone support for taxpayers.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): This is a busy time for customers who want to get their taxes sorted. Directing those with simple queries to online services, where they can be resolved more quickly, will ensure telephone advisers are available to help customers with complex queries or those who cannot get online.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about rate of reoffending among those released from prison

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 30th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many, and what proportion of, people reoffended within one year of release from prison by accommodation status at (1) release, and (2) three months post-release, in each of the last three years.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about rebel groups in Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the launch of the new Congolese rebel group known as Alliance Fleuve Congo and the consequences for relations between the East African Community and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about presence of GPs on the Bibby Stockholm barge

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many days is a GP on site on the Bibby Stockholm each week; and whether they have plans to review this level of provision.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): The medical facility on the barge is staffed 5 days a week to provide an onsite primary healthcare service with which the asylum seekers will register; this means individuals will not need to register with a local GP practice. The medical team has previous experience of working with asylum seekers.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about applications for mother-and-baby units in prisons

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many applications were received for a Mother and Baby Unit place in prison in the past five years; and of those, how many were (1) accepted, or (2) refused, broken down by reason for refusal.

Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): Total figures for applications received, approved and refused are provided in the table below.

As decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and the reasons can be complex, reasons for refusal are not currently collated, and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

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