The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 7th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that residents on the Bibby Stockholm can access outside space and the surrounding community without requiring inspection by staff or the use of scanners each time.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about conditions for migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 31st Janaury 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 December 2023 (HL597), how often is the doctor at the onsite primary healthcare available to hold in-person consultations for residents.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about medical care for migrant detainees at MOD Wethersfield”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 30th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many days is a GP on site on the Bibby Stockholm each week; and whether they have plans to review this level of provision.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): The medical facility on the barge is staffed 5 days a week to provide an onsite primary healthcare service with which the asylum seekers will register; this means individuals will not need to register with a local GP practice. The medical team has previous experience of working with asylum seekers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about presence of GPs on the Bibby Stockholm barge”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 24th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government on how many occasions an asylum seeker has been given fewer than five days’ notice before a transfer to the Bibby Stockholm.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about process of transferring asylum seekers to Bibby Stockholm barge”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 23rd January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what risk assessments are carried out when facilitating room-sharing on the Bibby Stockholm, and at what intervals this is repeated after the outset of an asylum seeker’s relocation to the vessel.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about conditions for asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 23rd January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for annually indexing Local Housing Allowance to rent levels.
Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con): The Secretary of State (SoS) has recently completed his review of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for 2024/25. As announced by the Chancellor in the recent Autumn Statement, from April 2024 the Government will be investing £1.2 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This ensures 1.6 million private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit, or the Housing Element of Universal Credit will gain, on average, nearly £800 per year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25. This is a significant investment of £7bn over five years.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about local housing allowance”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 22nd January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for 10-year rent settlements for social homes to create certainty for social housing providers.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about housing policy”The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on government plans to improve the quality of existing housing in the UK on 11th January 2024, during a discussion on the government’s long term plan for housing:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community recommended that the Government adopt a long-term plan to address the scale of the housing crisis in the UK. I am glad to see that they have adopted the language of long-termism, as the UK’s housing has been held back by short-term planning and decision-making for far too long. However, I believe that such a plan must be holistic, taking into account all elements that make up a good housing strategy, with consideration of both new builds and existing buildings. What plans do the Government have to improve the quality of the homes that we already have, for example by undertaking a programme to upgrade EPC ratings, or by equalising the rate of VAT on repairs for existing houses with that for constructing new homes?
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about plans to improve quality of housing in the UK”On 11th January 2024, the Bishop of Chelmsford spoke during a debate on Parliamentary Democracy and Standards in Public Life, reiterating the Archbishop of Canterbury’s call for a rediscovery of standards:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, like others, I contribute to this discussion with a great amount of feeling, because the debate goes right to the heart of the integrity of public institutions, including both Chambers of our Parliament. After Sue Gray’s report on parties in Downing Street during lockdown, my most reverend friend the Archbishop of Canterbury described standards in public life as
“the glue that holds us together”
and called for a “rediscovery” of these standards. That was in May 2022, but since then, it can feel like little has changed.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford reiterates calls for rediscovery of standards in public life”The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question about appropriate monitoring of the use of force against those detained under immigration regulations, particularly children and vulnerable adults, during a discussion on the inquiry into conditions at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre on 11th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, the inquiry found that the inappropriate use of restraint and force on detained persons suffering from mental illness was common at Brook House, with healthcare staff unaware of their responsibilities to monitor the welfare of detained persons during use of restraint. Regardless of this information, the Illegal Migration Act allows for the use of force against even children across the detention estate. What steps will be taken to ensure that the use of force is continually monitored and recorded for all detainees, but particularly vulnerable adults and children, to ensure that what occurred at Brook House is never allowed to happen again?
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about use of force by immigration authorities”
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