Bishop of Exeter asks about closure of bank branches in Devon

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 14th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government how many bank branches in Devon closed in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.

Baroness Penn (Con): The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions nor make direct assessments of these branch networks. Based on constituency level data published by LINK there are over 650 ATMs and more than 80 bank branches in the county of Devon.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about cases of female genital mutilation and forced marriage

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government

  • how many cases of female genital mutilation have been (1) investigated, and (2) prosecuted, in (a) 2022, (b) 2021, (c) 2020, and (d) 2019.
  •  how many instances of forced marriage occurred in (1) 2022, (2) 2021, (3) 2020, and (4) 2019.
  • what estimate they have made of number of girls under the age of 18 who are British Citizens who have been married abroad.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con): The Government is committed to tackling forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). On 27 February 2023 we brought into force legislation which raises the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales to 18, and expands the offence of forced marriage soit is illegal to do anything to cause a child to marry before they turn 18, even if coercion is not used.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about British citizens resident in the EU

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on representation for British Citizens resident in the EU during a debate on the EU Settlement scheme on 13th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, does the Minister agree that a positive move to implement the High Court judgment may help in bilateral representations where British citizens find themselves disadvantaged by the application of the immigration laws in certain EU countries where residence was not hitherto a problem?

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con): I entirely agree with the right reverend Prelate that clearly it helps that the Home Office works very closely with those in the Commission in relation to the respective rights of citizens in each other’s countries.

Hansard

Bishop of Exeter asks about control of avian influenza virus

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 13th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus.

Lord Benyon (Con): Defra’s approach to avian influenza disease control considers the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice and is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain(opens in a new tab), supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales(opens in a new tab). Current policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control. In summary swift and humane culling of poultry and other captive birds on infected premises, coupled with rigorous biosecurity, are used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and minimise the risk of disease spread from infected premises

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Bishop of Exeter asks about support for the horticultural industry

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 13th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to the horticultural industry to support the growth of fruit and vegetables.

Lord Benyon (Con): An innovative, productive, and competitive agricultural sector is one of HM Government’s key priorities.

Horticultural production was worth £4.8 billion in 2021 and is a vital sector, not only in ensuring the resilience of our food supply chains, but also as a major driver of local economic growth and employment.

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Bishop of Durham asks about Homes for Ukraine scheme

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 10th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government when people who arrived in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme will be able to be re-matched with hosts who offer their homes through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): This department is not responsible for the Ukraine Family Scheme route. Details of re-matching for Homes for Ukraine arrivals are available online on gov.uk.

Hansard

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Repairs & Maintenance, Rural Areas, and Vandalism of Cemeteries in Jerusalem

Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs on 10th March 2023:

Jerome Mayhew MP (Con): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of local authority grant funding available to parish churches to upgrade their facilities.

Andrew Selous MP (Con): It is the view of the National Church Institutions that Local Authority and Parish Council grant funding is not being made available to parish churches on a consistent basis, due to a lack of clarity in interpretation of existing law, specifically the Local Government Acts 1894, 1972 and the Localism Act 2011.

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Bishop of London speaks in debate to mark international women’s day

The Bishop of London took part in a debate to mark International Women’s Day on 10th March 2023, speaking about the role of women in the Church of England and in healthcare and nursing:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is wonderful to be able to participate in this year’s International Women’s Day debate alongside such inspirational women. It is an honour to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay.

I was recently fortunate to have a participant from the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme spend a day with me and the Bishop of Stepney as we visited the Stepney area, which is part of the diocese of London. The House may know that the programme was set up in Jo’s memory and in recognition of her leadership and the empowerment of many women. I commend the programme and its recognition of the need for women leaders to spend their time with other women leaders.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about fruit and vegetable shortages in UK shops

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 10th March 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the causes of fruit and vegetable shortages in UK shops.

Lord Benyon (Con): The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response and is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.

Defra is closely monitoring markets and supply chains to explore the factors that have contributed to ongoing supply chain pressures, including requesting weekly data from supermarkets on supplies of the foods affected to ensure we have the latest available data. We know that some supermarkets have applied item limits to a small number of fruit and vegetables due to poor weather affecting the harvest in Spain and North Africa, where a high proportion of produce consumed in UK at this time of year is grown.

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Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill: Bishop of London speaks on inclusion of health services in bill

The Bishop of London spoke to a group of amendments related to health services during a debate on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill on 9th March 2023, raising concerns of the effect of the bill on individual health service staff, pressure on staff levels, and low morale in the healthcare service:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I rise to speak to this group of amendments on the inclusion of health services in the Bill. I am sorry that I have not been able to speak before. I declare my interests as set out in the register.

I have been a union member. I joined as a nurse—and as an NHS manager and a civil servant in the Department of Health—because I wanted protection. The relationship with unions was critical; it was the way in which we improved patient care. One of my overall concerns about the Bill is that it has the potential to break down the relationship which is so vital for patient care, as the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, said.

I am grateful to the Royal College of Nursing, which has helped me in considering the Bill. I am sure that it will not surprise noble Lords to know that it does not support the Bill, for what I see as some good reasons: not least because it curtails the freedom to participate in what otherwise is lawful action.

My right reverend friend the Bishop of Manchester regrets that he cannot be here, but he shares my concern that far too much power is given to the Secretary of State in what we have already heard is only a skeleton Bill, and that there is a complete lack of clarity about how it could be used. It is open to abuse. I am surprised that, as many others have said, the detailed policy that becomes legislation is not there. I am concerned that those who work in the health service probably cannot see whether they are in there or not.

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