On 23rd June 20202 the Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, asked a question following a statement from the Government on the terrorist attacks in Reading on 20th June.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: The Minister has referred to the extra £90 million for counterterrorism. Is this ring-fenced and will it be continued in future years? Secondly, what reassurances and protections are being given to minority communities, which will be feeling very vulnerable at this point?
On 23rd June the Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on religious freedom in China.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL5718 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that priests in China have been forced to preach Chinese nationalism in return for the opening of religious spaces.
On 22nd and 24th June 2020 votes were held on amendments to the Government’s Fisheries Bill, in which the Bishop of St Albans took part:
On 22nd June Lord McNally asked Her Majesty’s Government ” what measures they are taking to ensure that seaside resorts can respond to any increased demand for holidays in the United Kingdom.” The Rt Revd Christine Hardman, Bishop of Newcastle, asked a follow up question focusing on poverty in coastal areas.
Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, my diocese boasts some of the UK’s most beautiful coastline, and I welcome the Minister’s reassurances on the significance of tourism and the measures to be taken to aid it. However, many of the coastal communities in the north-east, in common with coastal towns elsewhere, are among the 10% most-deprived areas in England. What action do the Government propose to ensure that the present crisis will not make the inequality with non-coastal areas even greater?
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle asks Government about poverty in coastal areas”
Parliament met this week, in Westminster and online.
The Bishops of Durham and Peterborough began each sitting day in the Lords with prayers. They also asked Government about, respectively, the situation of children in families with no recourse to public funds, and for Government commitments to overseas aid in light of the merger of Government departments.
Eight bishops opposed Government Regulations on abortion in Northern Ireland in a vote in the Lords to approve them. The Bishop of Carlisle set out his concerns about the implications for abortion on grounds of disability.
The Bishop of St Albans asked Government whether they would implement the findings of past reviews into racism and discrimination following recent public protests. He also asked about freedom of religion in China, and about future social housing provision.
The Bishop of Gloucester received answers to questions on COVID-19 in prisons, cell sharing, shielding and deaths. The Bishop of Rochester also asked about coronavirus in prisons, and about the role of smaller charities in providing probation services.
The Bishop of Salisbury asked Government about emissions reduction targets, and the Bishop of Winchester asked about the retention of nurses in the NHS. Continue reading “Week in Westminster, 15th-19th June 2020”
On 18th June 2020 a Government statement on the proposed merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign Office, was repeated in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Peterborough, Rt Revd Donald Allister, responded:
The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, I thank the Leader of the House for answering questions on this matter. On these Benches, we affirm the Government’s right to organise themselves as they think best for the common good. We look forward to greater integration between foreign and development policy and values, and we warmly commend the continued 0.7% commitment. I am grateful to have heard the noble Baroness’s assurance that the Government will remain committed to the OECD DAC rules—it would be lovely to have that repeated. Can we have another assurance that the Government will preserve the primary focus of UK aid as poverty reduction? Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough welcomes Government continuing commitments to UK aid”
On 18th June 2020 Lord Clark of Windermere asked the Government “what plans they have to facilitate the recruitment of nurses onto degree courses beginning in September 2020.” The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Revd Tim Dakin, asked a follow-up question:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, support for key public service staff and maintaining quality training for those professions will be strategic in the successful rebuilding of our post-Covid society. In the Royal College of Nursing 2019 employment survey, 37% of qualified nurses said that they were seeking a new job outside the profession. Does the Minister agree that the retention of qualified nurses, midwifery and allied health professional staff is just as important as the recruitment of trainees? Will he therefore say more about how the Government will review the support packages available to both students and new post-qualification nurses and allied health professionals, in order that more of those newly qualified are encouraged to remain in the profession? Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks Government about retention of nurses”
On 17th June Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of their relationship with the government of China; whether they intend to alter that relationship; and if so, how they intend to do so”. The Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans asked a follow up question, focusing on freedom of religion and belief.
Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, inevitably, trade and defence issues will play an important part in our relationship with China. Will the Minister assure us that issues of freedom of religion or belief will not be overlooked? Estimates suggest that between 900,000 and 1.8 million Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang province. What plans have the Government made to join our American allies in sanctioning those responsible for the oppression of Uighurs in Xinjiang?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about freedom of religion in China”
On 17th June 20202 the Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, received a written answer to a question on greenhouse gas reduction targets:
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: HL5327 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that financial support to fossil fuel-intensive and high carbon producing industries is in line with (1) their Paris Agreement obligations, (2) their target for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; and (3) their commitment to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government about emissions reduction targets”
On 16th June Baroness Sanderson of Welton asked Her Majesty’s Government “when they plan to publish the social housing White Paper“. The Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, asked a follow up question focusing on the loss of social housing units.
The Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, these Benches welcome the upcoming White Paper, but we are still losing tens of thousands of social housing units annually, with a net loss of 17,000 in 2019 alone. Can the Minister confirm to your Lordships’ House that increasing social housing will be addressed in the White Paper, and is he able to give us some indication as to the steps that Her Majesty’s Government will implement to address this worrying decline?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government to increase social housing”
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