Bishop of Carlisle asks about research into countering viral illnesses

On 25th July 2023, the Bishop of Carlisle asked a question about the plans for an immunisation programme against respiratory syncytial virus before winter:

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I, too, welcome the Minister’s detailed knowledge of this subject. Testing it even further, if I may, can I ask him whether His Majesty’s Government have made any assessment of the usefulness of glycolipid research in countering not only RSV but other viral illnesses, including influenza and Covid-19?

Lord Markham (Con): I fear I might have been taken to the limit of my knowledge. I would like to think I know when to stop and to offer to follow up in writing.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about recent reports on the El Niño weather pattern

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent reports by the World Meteorological Organization of the El Niño weather pattern.

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Bishop of Durham asks about impact of increased job search requirements for lead carers in families

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the book by Kate Andersen Welfare That Works for Women? Mothers’ Experiences of the Conditionality within Universal Credit, published in January, what assessment they have made of the impact on families of increasing the job search requirements for lead carers.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about provision of refrigerators and freezers to food banks

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Markham on 14 December 2022 (HL Deb col 653), what assessment they have made of the provision of freezers and fridges to increase food banks’ storage capacity.

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Bishop of Durham asks about Rwanda’s support of rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to join the US and the United Nations in urging Rwanda to end its support to the M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK continues to monitor the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) closely and its grave humanitarian consequences. We regularly raise the conflict in eastern DRC with the Governments of DRC, Rwanda, and the region, where we urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda processes. This includes the cessation of hostilities, respect for sovereignty and agreed withdrawal by armed groups including M23.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Finance, Parish Voices, Church Buildings Upkeep, and the Independent Safeguarding Board

On 25th July 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Church of England: Finance

Rachael Maskell MP (Lab, York Central): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had with stakeholders on (a) their spending priorities and (b) how these align with the mission of the church.

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Bishop of Guildford takes part in debate on the wide ranging effects of climate change

The Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate about adapting to the impacts that climate change will have on health, the economy, food security, and the environment on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Guildford: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Krebs, for this timely debate and very much look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Earl, Lord Russell.

The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board have recently taken the decision to divest from fossil fuels following insufficient progress towards meeting the targets set by their investment boards in 2018. As the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury put it:

“We have long urged companies to take climate change seriously, and specifically to align with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and pursue efforts to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels … Some progress has been made, but not nearly enough. The Church will follow not just the science, but our faith—both of which call us to work for climate justice”.

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Bishop of Exeter leads debate on the housing crisis in rural and coastal communities

On 24th July, the Bishop of Exeter tabled a question for short debate on the need to address housing issues in rural and coastal communities:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty’s Government what their plans are to address the housing crisis in rural and coastal communities.

My Lords, as bishop with pastoral care of one of the largest rural dioceses in England that boasts not one but two coastlines, I have become concerned about the escalating housing crisis in rural and coastal communities. If this is the true situation in Devon, I suspect it will be true for other parts of England, which is why I am encouraged by the number of colleagues from across the House who are speaking today. My hope is that we can distil wisdom that will reshape the housing policies of His Majesty’s Government.

We are all familiar with the problems of affordability caused by the chronic housing shortage that is having a disproportionate impact on people with low incomes. The Government, as they have admitted today, are falling woefully short of their own homebuilding target and, as a result, people are suffering, because they have nowhere to call home. Their health is diminished and community spirit is being eroded. In coastal and rural areas, particularly in tourist hotspots, the situation is compounded by second home ownership, holiday rentals and Airbnb lettings.

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Bishop of Oxford takes part in debate on development of advanced Artificial Intelligence

On 24th July 2023, the Bishop of Oxford spoke in a debate about the ongoing development of advanced artificial intelligence, associated risks and potential approaches to regulation within the UK and internationally:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I declare my interest as a member of two recent select and scrutiny committees on AI, and as a founding board member of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.

Together with others, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Ravensdale, on this debate, and it is a pleasure to follow the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Houghton.

We are at a pivotal moment in the development of AI. As others have said, there is immense potential for good and immense potential for harm in the new technologies. The question before us is not primarily one of assessing risk and developing regulation. Risk and regulation must both rest on the foundation of ethics. My fundamental question is: what is the Government’s view on the place of ethics within these debates, and the place of the humanities and civil society in the development and translation of ethics?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about affordable housing in rural communities

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the shortage of affordable housing in rural areas on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, one of the challenges facing rural areas is an acute shortage of affordable housing. Statistics from the National Housing Federation show that social housing waiting lists in rural areas have grown by 31%, compared with just 3% in urban areas. That is having a huge impact on rural sustainability as the average age in those areas increases, leading to the closure of schools, post offices and so on. What is being done specifically to unblock this logjam in providing more affordable housing in rural areas?

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