Bishop of St Albans asks about levels of air pollution in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 3rd April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked  His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the UK complies with World Health Organization air quality guidelines for PM2.5 levels.

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Votes: Bus Services (No. 2) Bill

On 2nd April 2025, the House of Lords debated the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

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Bishop of Southwark asks about universal free school meals

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on the benefits of offering universal free school meals on 2nd April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, will the Minister consider the scheme funded by the Mayor of London, by which all state primary school children receive free school meals, with the undoubted benefits that brings, and will she consider extending that nationally?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of gambling and nicotine on young people

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 2nd April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of findings published on 18 March by the City of York Council, Next Generation York: the health of adolescents in our city, particularly that 16 per cent of young people had gambled, and of those 25 per cent took money to gamble without permission, and 14 per cent had conflicts with family or friends over gambling.

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Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of London advocates for greater inclusion of faith groups in the House of Lords

The Bishop of London spoke at the committee debate on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill on 1st April 2025, supporting the inclusion of wider faith representatives in the House of Lords:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 109, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Northbrook. Those of us on these Benches are clear that we support the inclusion of wider faith representatives in your Lordships’ House.

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Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports amendment on nomination of peers following passage of the bill

The Bishop of St Albans spoke at the committee stage of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill on 1st April 2025, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Mobarik which “would require the Prime Minister to give groups in Parliament the ability to nominate individuals to be appointed as life peers to replace the number of hereditary peers in their group. This could include reappointing some hereditary peers as life peers.”

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I will not detain the Committee for long. I find myself very much in sympathy with the intention of this amendment and particularly with what the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, said a few moments ago.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about alternative methods to combat knife crime

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on alternative approaches to tackling knife crime on 1st April 2025, during a discussion on the effectiveness of the stop and search policy:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: Can the Minister outline whether more activity is possible on prevention and a public health approach to knife crime, as has been attempted in Glasgow? Examples include schools programmes and after-school youth provision—programmes that tackle the multivalent factors that can lead to violence.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about reducing gender achievement gap in schools

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to reduce the gender achievement gap in science and maths in secondary schools in England.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about drug policing

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 13 March (HL5375), whether the National County Lines Coordination Centre coordinates with the National Rural Crime Unit and dedicated rural crime taskforces.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of the ending of the farmers’ resilient fund

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the end of the Farming Resilience Fund on farmers’ mental health.

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