Bishop of St Albans asks Government about action against forced marriage

On 8th March the Bishop of St Albans received written answers to two questions on forced marriage:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were (1) charged, and (2) convicted, with (a) forcing someone to marry, and (b) breaching a forced marriage protection order, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018, (iv) 2019, and (v) 2020. [HL13499]

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Bishop of Coventry asks about humanitarian aid delivery to Tigray

On 8th March the Bishop of Coventry received a written answer to a question on humanitarian aid delivery in Ethiopia: 
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that aid workers are permitted (1) to deliver humanitarian aid, and (2) to assess the needs of the population, in Ethiopia. [HL13385]

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Bishop of Coventry raises access to religious sites and humanitarian aid in Azerbaijan

On 8th March 2021 the Bishop of Coventry received written answers to questions of Government on access to humanitarian aid and to religious sites in Azerbaijan by Armenians:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the implementation of restrictions for Armenians to visit the Dadivank Monastery, what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan to ensure that Armenians are able to access sites of historical religious importance in areas returned to Azerbaijan. [HL13382]

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Bishop of Leeds asks about roadmap to reintroduction of singing in UK churches

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the lifting of pandemic restrictions on singing in churches on 4th March 2021, following a government update on COVID-19:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I add my congratulations to the NHS and the Minister for the rollout of the vaccine, but with continued concern about the mortality rates. Churches, clergy and chaplains have been very involved in pastoral care and in support of the dying and the bereaved, even when buildings have been closed. There is now big concern with Holy Week and Easter coming up. Can the Minister offer a roadmap for when singing by choirs and congregations will once again be allowed, with sufficient time to prepare?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for domestic fish consumption in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on rates of domestic fish consumption and the handling of fishing quotas with the EU on 4th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, there is an immediate, pressing problem for many of our fishermen, who are suffering. What are Her Majesty’s Government doing to increase fish consumption in the domestic market? Do we need a fish and chips tsar or someone to encourage people to eat fish? More importantly, in the negotiations with the EU, will the Government work towards a flexible arrangement that allows for better quota swaps?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about recent gambling study

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the study in the Nature Human Behaviour journal The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published on 4 February, that an individual is more likely to become a heavy gambler in a period of six months than to go from heavy gambling to abstention; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of existing gambling treatment programmes.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Family Life

On 4th March 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Sarah Dynes MP (Con, Derbyshire Dales): To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support family life during the covid-19 lockdown.

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Financial Services Bill: Bishop of St Albans tables amendment on regulation of financial advice

The Bishop of St Albans tabled his amendment 136 to the Financial Services Bill in Grand Committee on 3rd March 2021, and spoke in support of a further amendment on debt financing:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 136, which is in my name. I tabled the amendment because of concerns about the lower levels of responsibility placed on appointed representatives and the increased risk of poor financial advice that this poses.

The objective of the senior managers and certification regime to influence an individual’s behaviour by making them personally accountable to the regulator is one that I agree with and it was the correct response to the culture that had arisen in the City of London prior to the financial crash in 2008. I know that some Members of this House have criticised the application of the senior managers and certification regime, or lack of it, by the FCA, and I agree that it is worrying. However, I do not want to comment on the effectiveness of the SMCR but to remedy an anomaly that exists within the current framework.

The SMCR currently applies to directly regulated financial advisers, yet it does not extend to those who are appointed representatives. This anomaly means that, while a directly regulated adviser carries a personal responsibility for the quality of the advice they provide to their customer, no such responsibility is incumbent upon the adviser who is an appointed representative. This is despite the reality that a customer seeking financial advice is unlikely to know the difference between the two types of adviser and the possible effects that this might have on the quality of the advice they receive.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on continuing UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia on 3rd March 2021, during a discussion on aid funding to Yemen:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, the Minister rightly used the word “peace” a number of times when referring to the Government’s commitment to bringing peace in Yemen, and yet we continue to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, which is part of the violent problem there. Does this not reflect badly on the moral case for global Britain, at a time when we have cut our aid to what are acknowledged to be the poorest and most suffering people in the world—look at the television programme the other night on the nine year-old blind boy teaching in a derelict school—when they need it most?

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Bishop of Durham asks about funding for refugee resettlement scheme

On 3rd March 2021, the Bishop of Durham asked a question on funding for the UK’s refugee resettlement scheme:

The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: I am a trustee of Reset and a member of the RAMP project. As the Minister knows, stakeholders continue to warn that, without parity of the timing of the resettlement scheme and a long-term funding commitment, they are unable to plan their services to resettle refugees. Indeed, some are having to place staff on notice and scale back their existing operations. Can the Government confirm now when the scheme will be launched for the long term with secure funding from the Treasury?

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