Bishop of St Albans asks Government about personal debt for those on low incomes due to coronavirus

On 22nd October the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question of Government on personal debt as a consequence of coronavirus:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to respond to reports of a low-income debt crisis emerging in the UK as a result of redundancies and income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL8988] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about personal debt for those on low incomes due to coronavirus”

Votes: Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill

On 21st October 2020 three votes were held on the Government’s Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill. Members of the Lords were asked to agree with the decisions of the Commons to reject amendments they had passed to the Bill, or to propose further amendments in lieu of them. Several bishops took part:
Continue reading “Votes: Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill”

Bishop of London voices concern about high number of remand prisoners

On 21st October Lord German asked the Government “what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) prisons, (2) prisoners, and (3) those on remand, of increasing the maximum period of remand in custody by eight weeks.” The Bishop of London asked a further question:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, is the Minister aware that many hundreds of remand prisoners in London prisons are now held for much longer periods than before Covid while waiting for a trial date? Her Majesty’s Prison Pentonville alone has over 400 prisoners waiting for unprecedented periods—of over a year—for their cases to be heard. Can she assure your Lordships’ House that action is being taken to relieve this? If so, what action can we expect? Continue reading “Bishop of London voices concern about high number of remand prisoners”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about action on gambling advertising and addiction

On Wednesday 21st October the Bishop of St Albans received two written answers to questions to Government on gambling advertising and gambling addiction:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Advertising Standards Agency, Trends in exposure to TV ads during COVID-19, published on 8 October; and what steps they are taking to reduce young people’s exposure to gambling adverts. [HL9068] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about action on gambling advertising and addiction”

Votes: Agriculture Bill

On 20th October three votes were held on the Government’s Agriculture Bill, on whether the Lords agreed with the decisions of the Commons to reject amendments they had passed to the Bill at earlier stages, or whether they would propose new amendments in lieu. The Bishop of St Albans took part:
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Bishop of London – need to invest in local public health responses to coronavirus and offer right financial support for most restricted areas

On 20th October 2020 the House of Lords heard the repeat of a Government statement on Covid-19, and also considered the Government’s Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2020. The Bishop of London spoke in response to both:

In response to the Motion to approve the Regulations, she said:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for the work that he and others are doing to make decisions at this very challenging time. The regulations we are debating relate to health protection restrictions and fines. However, I wonder whether our approach to public health protection and restrictions during the pandemic needs to pay more attention to a bottom-up approach of wisdom, rather than simply relying on top-down pragmatism and the push and pull of financial incentives. Last week, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Manchester highlighted how policies, such as fines, are out of touch with many. It has led to frustration and resentment nationwide. Continue reading “Bishop of London – need to invest in local public health responses to coronavirus and offer right financial support for most restricted areas”

Vote: UK Internal Market Bill motion to regret

On Tuesday 20th October a vote was taken on a Motion to Regret on the Government’s United Kingdom Internal Market Bill. Seven bishops voted for the Motion:
Continue reading “Vote: UK Internal Market Bill motion to regret”

Bishop of Salisbury asks Government about investment in local micro-energy generation

On 20th October Lord Ravensdale asked the Government “what assessment they have made of the report by the International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook 2020, published on 13 October.” The Bishop of Salisbury asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury [V]: My Lords, the report from the IEA focuses on the impact of the pandemic on macro energy generation and distribution, and it emphasises the vulnerability of the national grid. The pandemic has emphasised the importance of the local, so how does the Minister see the Government’s role in encouraging the rapid development of local micro energy generation? Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government about investment in local micro-energy generation”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about wood pasture restoration

On 20th October the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question he had asked Government about the restoration of wood pasture:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:  To ask Her Majesty’s Government what scheme they intend to establish to replace Natural England’s Wood-Pasture Restoration Option within the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. [HL8829] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about wood pasture restoration”

Bishop of London asks Government about impact on wellbeing of visiting restrictions at care homes

On 20th October 2020 the Bishop of London received a written answer to a question she had asked Government about visiting restrictions at care homes:

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of visiting restrictions at care homes on the wellbeing of residents; and what plans they have to review their policy on visiting arrangement at care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL8737] Continue reading “Bishop of London asks Government about impact on wellbeing of visiting restrictions at care homes”