On 30th April 2024, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Prisoners Bill in the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Victims and Prisoners Bill
Bishop of Southwark asks about shortages of prescription drugs
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of shortages in the supply of prescription drugs.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): There are approximately 14,000 medicines licensed for supply in the United Kingdom, and the overwhelming majority are in good supply.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about shortages of prescription drugs”Bishop of St Albans asks about rural pharmacy provision
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
- how many community pharmacies in rural areas closed in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
- what assessment they have made of the long-term financial viability of community pharmacies in rural areas.
Bishop of Gloucester asks about measures to deliver a more diverse judiciary
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the University of Manchester Racial Bias and the Bench: A response to the Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2020-2025), published in November 2022, what support they will give to recommendations to overhaul judicial appointment processes to deliver a more diverse judiciary and embed equalities within the judiciary.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about measures to deliver a more diverse judiciary”Bishop of Lincoln speaks in debate on combatting child poverty
The Bishop of Lincoln spoke in debate on child poverty on 29th April 2024, highlighting the importance of effective infrastructure for housing and employment, and the experiences of children and families in rural communities:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Bird, for securing this debate and for his passion and his challenge. Like the noble Lord, I come from a poor London Irish family, but from south of the river, if that is allowed. We have heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, about the causes of child poverty and that they are systemic, and about the potential for changing them—not by exceptionalism, as may have applied in our cases.
As the Bishop of Lincoln, I am very conscious that in greater Lincolnshire I see vibrant resilient communities but, in the midst of a commendable spirit, there are considerable challenges. The effects of deep poverty feel widespread and tangible in a way that I have not seen since I began as a priest in the mid-1980s. Damp, low-quality accommodation, particularly in the private rented sector, has an impact felt particularly by children at crucial stages of their development. In response to this, the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community set out five values for good housing: it should be safe, sociable, sustainable, satisfying and secure. Failure to deliver this only serves to entrench child poverty.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln speaks in debate on combatting child poverty”Bishop of Lincoln asks about supportive care for long-term prisoners upon release
The Bishop of Lincoln asked a question on provision of supportive care for those released after a long time in the prison system, during a discussion on indeterminate prison sentences on 29th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, recently in Lincoln prison I met a man who has been continuously in the prison system for the last 48 years—since I sat my A-levels. He is not mentally ill in any obvious way. He told me that he keeps sane by keeping God between himself and the other prisoners—that was the gist of what he said anyway—but that he is so socialised by being in prison for so long that he has almost forgotten what he was in there for. He asked that if he were to be released could there be specialist units in nursing homes where there would be the proper care for someone who has not known freedom in his entire adult life?
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln asks about supportive care for long-term prisoners upon release”Bishop of Bristol asks about report on modern slavery linked to car wash sites
The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on 29th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked His Majesty’s Government:
- what assessment they have made of the report Car Wash Code of Practice Project Report: Home Office Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, published by Nottingham Trent University and submitted to the Home Office in October 2022.
- when they will respond to the report Car Wash Code of Practice Project Report: Home Office Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, published by Nottingham Trent University and submitted to the Home Office in October 2022.
Bishop of St Albans asks about policies to encourage breastfeeding
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to put in place policies that encourage breastfeeding, including supportive work environments where women are able to breastfeed or express milk.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): The Government’s vision, set out in the policy paper, The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, is that every parent and carer has access to high quality infant feeding services in their local area. A copy of the paper is attached.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about policies to encourage breastfeeding”Bishop of St Albans asks about links between alcohol consumption and breast cancer
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 29th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the link between women’s increasing consumption of alcohol and incidences of breast cancer.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about links between alcohol consumption and breast cancer”Bishop of St Albans asks about pharmacy provision in rural areas
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of rural pharmacy closures on access to primary care.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): It is the statutory duty of every local authority in England to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas including those that are rural in nature, every three years, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services and where a pharmacy closure impacts on the access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about pharmacy provision in rural areas”
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