The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 8th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the annual survey conducted by the Grocery Code Adjudicator which identified a deteriorating relationship between food suppliers and retailers; and what steps they will take to improve that relationship.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about relationship between food suppliers and retailers”
On 7th November 2022, the House of Lords debated a private notice question from Baroness Kidron concerning the passage of the Online Safety Bill, as to whether the bill would be brought forward and passed during this parliamentary session. The Bishop of Durham asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, this seems a classic example of the people we want to protect not getting a voice. Five years’ worth of children have been damaged because of the lack of this. Please can we and the business managers put the children first?
Continue reading “Online Safety Bill: Bishop of Durham stresses importance of child protection”
The Bishop of Durham asked a question on the government’s assessment of a report by the Children’s Commissioner as part of the Independent Family Review, on 7th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Children’s Commissioner for England Family and its protective effect: Part 1 of the Independent Family Review, published on 1 September; and in particular, what assessment they have made of the definition of the ‘protective effect’ and its implications for future policy.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about report on families by the Children’s Commissioner”
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 7th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answers on 7th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made (1) of Russia’s destruction of Ukraine’s power infrastructure, and (2) of the prospects of further large-scale refugee flows from Ukraine.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK condemns Russia’s intentional bombing of Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, which is causing widespread destruction.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about UK assistance for Ukraine”
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 7th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 28 September (HL 2252), what plans they have to review the location of the British Embassy in Israel; and what steps they are taking as part of any such review to consult relevant civil society organisations, non-government organisations and faith communities.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about the location of the British Embassy in Israel”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 7th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many recipients of Healthy Start vouchers are not in receipt of prepaid cards despite remaining eligible for the scheme.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about Healthy Start Scheme”On 3rd November 2022, the House of Lords held a debate on public service broadcasting to mark the centenary of the BBC. The Bishop of Leeds spoke in the debate, with specific reference to the value of UK public service broadcasting worldwide, and the future of Channel 4:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Foster, for securing this very important debate. Before saying anything further on the theme, I want to express thanks to and admiration for those who prepared the Library briefing. I have been knocking around these issues for a couple of decades, and this briefing is a model of narrative accuracy and concision.
Public service broadcasting in the UK is unique on the planet and one area in which this country is genuinely a world leader, which is why it is so important that, in the centenary year of the BBC and the day after the 40th birthday of Channel 4, we assess the value of what we have and steel ourselves against the ideologically driven impulse to diminish it. Yesterday, I asked a friend who works in public service broadcasting what she would focus on in a debate such as this. Her response was immediate: imagine a world without it. That is, imagine a world in which broadcasting serves only narrow cultural or political interests and is subject purely to commercial or transactional persuasion. I might put it like this: look at broadcasting in the United States. Price is not the same as value.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds speaks of value of UK public service broadcasting”The Bishop of London tabled a question for short debate on 3rd November 2022, concerning ambulance handovers in light of an upcoming strike:
The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they are making on ensuring swift ambulance handovers, as set out in Our Plan for Patients, published on 22 September, given the decision of ambulance workers across 11 trusts to ballot for strike action.
My Lords, I start by saying how grateful I am to your Lordships’ House for setting time aside for what I think is an important and timely debate. I am also grateful for the briefing from the House of Lords Library.
Last week, the GMB union announced that it was balloting ambulance workers over strike action across 11 trusts in what would be the biggest ambulance workers’ strike for 30 years. I think it would be wise to ask ourselves what has happened across the whole system to bring us to this point. Ambulance handover delays are an increasing issue across the trusts in England. The NHS contract for this year sets out that 90% of handovers should take place within 30 minutes and 65% within 15. However, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives notes 40,000 cases of patients waiting longer than an hour for handover—this was recorded this year and is the third-highest volume on record.
Long handover delays increase the risk of harm to patients while they are in ambulances. The NHS Confederation says that eight out of 10 patients who were delayed beyond 60 minutes were assessed as having had an experience that had potentially harmed them, and nearly one in 10 experienced severe harm as a result. The number of ambulances waiting to transfer their patients also impacts on the availability of ambulances, and the response times therefore increase. This in turn risks increasing further harm to those who are waiting for an ambulance in the community. Florence Nightingale famously once said that hospitals should do no harm. It is a sentiment that I believe is appropriate to the wider healthcare system. The healthcare system should do no harm.
Continue reading “Bishop of London leads debate on ambulance handovers”
The Bishop of Exeter asked a question regarding further funding for a government project to combat avian influenza on 3rd November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter: My Lords, earlier this year, His Majesty’s Government announced the establishment of a new flu map research project, which aims to help us better understand the transmission and spread of avian flu. Along with many others, I welcome the £1.5 million in funding by the Government, but in the light of the severity of this current outbreak, have the Government undertaken an assessment of the need for additional and further funding for this project, mindful of the fact that prevention is better than cure?
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about funding for combatting avian influenza”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.