Bishop of Durham asks about government support for the electric car battery industry

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on government financial support for a site producing electric car batteries on 23rd January 2023, following a statement on the company Britishvolt entering administration:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, the Minister loves the north-east, just like I do, and has noted that this is an extremely suitable site. Is not part of the problem that the return on investment is a very long way forward, so will the Government consider upping the amount they are willing to commit upfront to enable production on this site?

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Bishop of Durham asks about advocates for unaccompanied asylum seeking children

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on appointing advocates for unaccompanied asylum seeking children on 23rd January 2023, following a debate on safeguarding these children in hotels and other government-provided accommodation:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I thank the Minister for the care with which he is responding today; it is appreciated. Can he say how well qualified the social workers and others are to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, because there are particular issues around them? Would it not be better if we had a system of placing an advocate for each child, who could help them through the system, as soon as they arrive?

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Bishop of Durham asks about investment in the north-east of England

During a debate on Levelling Up on 23rd January 2023, the Bishop of Durham asked whether how much of the investment promised to the north-east of England will be new funds:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I welcome the new devolution deal that has been done for the north-east and look forward to the appointment of an elected mayor for the region. If this devolution deal goes ahead, which I trust it will, can His Majesty’s Government clarify what proportion of the estimated £4.2 billion of investment into the region will be truly new money that the local new mayor can allocate out?

Lord Lexden (Con): I thank the right reverend Prelate for that question and I will have to give him a written answer: I do not have that information on the north-east devolution deal.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about humanitarian issues in the Caucasus

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:

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

  • what assessment they have made of the humanitarian impact of the blockade on Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
  • what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the blockade of Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about government assessment of Israel’s policy on settlements

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel’s policy on the expansion of existing settlements and the construction of new settlements and outposts in the occupied Palestinian territories.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about lunch costs for pupils ineligible for free schools meals

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of an increase in the number of pupils who are ineligible for free school meals being unable to afford lunch.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about cost effectiveness of treating immuno-compromised patients with Evusheld medication

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost effectiveness of Evusheld in the treatment of immuno-compromised persons with complex health needs against the cost of an admission to hospital, given the increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions and the pressure on the NHS.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about right-of-access to cash

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:

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

  • what steps they are taking to tackle the increased cost to people in deprived areas caused by the prevalence of pay-to-use cash machines in these areas.
  • whether they intend to introduce a statutory right to pay for goods and services in cash; and if so, whether this would be subject to financial limits.
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Bishop of Leeds speaks in debate on union and constitutional issues

The Bishop of Leeds spoke in a debate on a report from the Constitution Committee – Respect and Co-operation: Building a Stronger Union for the 21st century, on 20th January 2023 :

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor, and the committee, for an excellent report. I hope that your Lordships will forgive me if I do not go into the detail of the report but offer what might sound a bit of a left-field observation. The report is subtitled Building a Stronger Union for the 21st Century. However, an assumption that we often bring to these debates is that what we had in the 20th century and before will automatically persist and that everyone buys into it.

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Bishop of St Albans speaks in debate to mark anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate marking the 75th Anniversary of the Empire Windrush ship to Britain, highlighting the contributions made by Caribbean immigrants and the ongoing need to challenge racism:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, for this important and timely debate. I thank other Members who have spoken so eloquently about the contribution of Caribbean people to this country.

In 1948, we invited Caribbean people to come to this country to help rebuild after the terrible devastation of the war. Some were welcomed; indeed, I have an auntie and uncle who, for 40 years, offered accommodation to people coming from the Caribbean. They did it joyfully and gladly and introduced them, wherever possible, into their Methodist church. However, at the same time there were many instances where they were not welcomed and, sadly, not even welcomed into some of our churches. They experienced appalling racism, which was simply shameful.

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