Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling advertising, rehabilitation, education and football

On 23rd, 25th & 26th November 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received  written answers to questions on gambling advertising, rehabilitation, education and football:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the announcement that Burnley FC are working with the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust to educate staff and supporters about the risks of gambling, what representations they have made to the Premier League to encourage clubs to adopt similar initiatives. [HL10378] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling advertising, rehabilitation, education and football”

Week in Westminster, 16th-20th November 2020

Parliament met in Westminster and online this week. The Bishop of Salisbury was on duty in the House of Lords and read prayers at the start of each sitting day.

Continue reading “Week in Westminster, 16th-20th November 2020”

Bishop of Government asks Government about process for selecting beneficiaries for Towns Fund

On 19th November the House of Lords heard a statement from Government on the Towns Fund. The Bishop of St Albans asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I am also delighted that the Government have set up the towns fund, which will make a significant contribution to many poorer communities. Nevertheless, it still remains that the Public Accounts Committee has expressed concerns about why some towns were chosen and some were not. In future, will Her Majesty’s Government undertake to publish the objective criteria and evidence that will be used for selection so that everyone can be assured that there is no political influence in making these selections and choices? Continue reading “Bishop of Government asks Government about process for selecting beneficiaries for Towns Fund”

Bishop of Salisbury asks Government to encourage fossil fuel intensive businesses to accelerate move to net zero carbon emissions

On 19th November the Bishop of Salisbury asked a question he had tabled to Government, on fuel intensive businesses  moving to net zero carbon emission. The exchanges are below, along with the follow-up questions from other Members:

Fossil Fuels: Business

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the Transition Pathway Initiative Management Quality and Carbon Performance of Energy Companies: September 2020, published on 7 October, what steps they plan to take to encourage fossil fuel intensive businesses to accelerate their move to net zero carbon emissions.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Lord Callanan) (Con): My Lords, the Government have schemes worth nearly £2 billion operating or in development to support our vital energy-intensive industries to decarbonise. These schemes include the industrial energy transformation fund to help companies to reduce their fuel bills and transition to low-carbon technologies, and the industrial decarbonisation challenge to support industry with the development of low-carbon technologies in industrial clusters.

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: I thank the Minister for his Answer. There have been some welcome and notable commitments, particularly by European oil and gas companies, but overall, the sector is not moving fast enough to align with the Paris agreement. How does the Minister see the Government supporting companies to move faster and have consistent standards for reporting all emissions from scopes 1, 2 and 3 so companies demonstrate alignment clearly in their reporting?

I commend to the Minister the work of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change working with TPI to establish a net-zero standard. It would be marvellous if the Government supported these endeavours in the context of their presidency of COP. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government to encourage fossil fuel intensive businesses to accelerate move to net zero carbon emissions”

Church Commissioners written answer: consistory court decisions and appeals

On 19th November the Second Church Estates Commissioner Andrew Selous MP answered written questions on a case that is sub-judice, on non-English language inscriptions on headstones:

Conor McGinn (St Helens North, Lab): [115722] To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the appeals process against consistory court decisions to the Provincial Court of the Archbishop.

Andrew Selous: It is possible to appeal the decision of a consistory court to the provincial court of the Archbishop, with the permission of the consistory court or of the appeal court, provided that the appeal does not relate to a question of doctrine, ritual or ceremonial. The Provincial Courts of Canterbury and York are known by the names ‘The Court of Arches’ and ‘The Chancery Court of York’.

As in a temporal court the test for whether to grant permission to appeal is the same, i.e whether the appeal has a real prospect of success or there is some other compelling reason why the appeal should be heard. Continue reading “Church Commissioners written answer: consistory court decisions and appeals”

Votes: UK Internal Market Bill

On 18th November the House of Lords voted on two amendments to the Government’s UK Internal Market Bill. The Bishop of Leeds took part: Continue reading “Votes: UK Internal Market Bill”

Bishop of Salisbury raises environmental implications of ship recycling regulations

On 18th November the House of Lords considered the Government’s Ship Recycling (Facilities and Requirements for Hazardous Materials on Ships) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The Bishop of Salisbury spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: My Lords, neither ship recycling nor Northern Ireland are my territory, though church is sometimes seen as an ark to gather people safely and hazardous materials are a concern for us all. It is important for Northern Ireland to thrive as best it can within the new political arrangements that are still unfolding. The purpose of this SI is clear and not controversial; it is to the benefit of one shipyard in Northern Ireland. The EU has developed a good scheme for overseeing this process and I am sure we will be glad to continue to use it. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury raises environmental implications of ship recycling regulations”

Bishop of Salisbury asks Government how it will engage faiths and NGOs for COP climate talks in Glasgow

On 18th November Baroness Boycott asked the Government, “further to the response by Lord Callanan on 20 October (HL Deb, col 1414), what plans they have for the campaigns taking place before COP 26 relating to behaviour change and the environment.” The Bishop of Salisbury asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: My Lords, Ban Ki-moon, then General Secretary of the UN, said that the Paris climate change talks were the largest and most complex talks he had ever been part of. Some 12,000 people were in the discussions, with another nearly 50,000 gathered around them.

What steps are the Government taking to ratchet up the engagement of the faith communities and other NGOs around the climate change talks that will take place in Glasgow, and what steps are they taking to strengthen the diplomatic efforts to make the talks more successful? Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government how it will engage faiths and NGOs for COP climate talks in Glasgow”

Bishop of St Albans asks about conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

On 18th November the Bishop of St Albans received written answers to questions on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, reports of ethnic cleansing of Armenian Christians and the use of white phosphorus:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for the provision of further security guarantees to assist those living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; and what steps they are taking to monitor and assess clashes and casualties along the ‘line of contact’ in that region. [HL10014] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan”

Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling by young people

On 18th November the Bishop of St Albans received written answers to two questions on problem gambling and young people:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings from the Gambling Commission’s 2020 Young People and Gambling Survey; and what steps they are taking to reduce problem gambling among 11 to 16-year olds. [HL10105]

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Gambling Commission and Ipsos Mori Young People & Gambling 2020 Technical Report, published in August, in particular its finding that the number of 11 to 16 year-olds classified as problem gamblers had risen from 1.7 per cent in 2019 to 1.9 per cent in 2020; and what discussions they have had with the Gambling Commission about ways in which problem gambling by children can be reduced. [HL10245] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling by young people”