The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 2nd December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of introducing an arts premium to allow for schools to pay for arts opportunities such as music lessons, as recommended in the report by the Sutton Trust, A class Act: Social mobility and the creative industries, published on 13 November.
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The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 2nd December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Official Development Assistance budget for 2025–26 is spent on development overseas rather than on in-donor refugee support expenses.
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The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation in the report The Voices of Supported Lodgings: Strong foundations for our future, published by Homes for Good and Safe Families on 16 October, that the Government should introduce a ‘supported lodgings lead’ within every regional care co-operative with responsibility for supported lodgings provision.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about supported lodgings provision”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published on 23 January, that of all entrants into first class undergraduate degrees in 2021–22, “just one per cent had a parent who was long-term unemployed or had never worked”; and what steps they are taking to reduce this educational attainment gap.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about educational attainment gap”The Bishop of Oxford spoke in a debate on proposals to ban the use of smartphones in schools on 28th November 2024, raising examples of the impact of phone use in schools on behaviour, concentration and mental health:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, it is an honour to take part in this debate. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, on her excellent introduction. I too look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Cass.
The diocese of Oxford, where I serve, has 285 church schools. We share in the education of over 60,000 children through these schools and the network of multi-academy trusts. There is a broad consensus on the importance of this issue and in favour of smartphone-free schools. However, there is not yet a final consensus on the next steps to be taken to bring this about. The consensus arises from our commitment to follow the Christian values of wisdom, respect, community and hope in all our schools.
Continue reading “Bishop of Oxford supports ban on smartphones in schools”On 28th November 2024, the Bishop of Winchester asked a question on the provision of mental health support for asylum seekers housed at the former MOD site in Wethersfield
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, reports by Doctors of the World and Médecins Sans Frontières speak of the high levels of psychological distress experienced by many of the residents who are accommodated at Wethersfield, and this is corroborated by those from the diocese of Chelmsford volunteering on site. Can the Minister say what access there is to therapeutic mental health support on site, especially for those suffering from complex conditions such as PTSD?
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about mental health support for detained asylum seekers”On 28th November 2024, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 28th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much of their recently announced £10.3 million of additional funding to Bangladesh is dedicated to supporting Rohingya refugees.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about support for Rohingya refugees”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 28th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure better co-ordination of guidance given to medical practitioners, teachers, and faith leaders on reporting and protecting girls from female genital mutilation.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about issues affecting women and girls”The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on government plans to recognise Cornish identity within the future Council of the Nations and Regions on 27th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, given that the UK Government have recognised the distinctive identity of the Cornish through the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, can the Minister say whether there are any plans to recognise that identity within the Council of the Nations and Regions, irrespective of whether they vote for a mayor? I note that the Cornish do not take kindly to being called English.
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