The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 19th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take forward plans to introduce a children’s wellbeing bill as mentioned in the King’s Speech; and if so, what steps they are taking to include measures to end child poverty in a given timeframe.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln asks about measures to end child poverty”The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 6th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce legally binding, time-constrained targets to eliminate child poverty as part of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln asks about child poverty”The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 22nd November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government how the Child Poverty Strategy intends to reduce child poverty in rural and coastal communities.
Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): We are committed to delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty which is why we have set up a Ministerial Taskforce that is urgently working to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln asks about child poverty strategy”The Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on the autumn budget on 11th November 2024, urging the government to carefully consider the impact of the budget on vulnerable groups:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I feel my B in GCSE maths is challenging my ability to speak with any fiscal authority in this debate, but I am glad of the opportunity to do so. I offer my congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Booth-Smith, on his excellent maiden speech and I welcome him to your Lordships’ House.
I recognise that the decisions the Chancellor has made have not been easy, but balanced alongside the Government’s long-term priorities we must consider how this Budget will serve the needs of people who are struggling today, and affect what surely must be a significant long-term ambition—perhaps I can use the word “mission”—to improve social cohesion.
Continue reading “Autumn Budget: Bishop of Newcastle urges government to consider effects on vulnerable groups”The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 24th October 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact that the five-week wait has on those awaiting their first Universal Credit payment.
Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): No assessment has been made of the financial impact of the 5-week-wait. The Government is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle asks about child poverty and benefits system”
On 22nd October 2024, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the causal correlation between poverty and absenteeism from school:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, is there any causal correlation between poverty, particularly in the wake of the cost of living crisis, and absenteeism from school?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about link between poverty and absenteeism from school”On 21st October 2024, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the impact of the current benefits system on children from lower-income families:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, in his review, Sir David Bell looked at the attainment gap between children from less privileged and more privileged backgrounds. Can the Government commit to ensuring that the ministerial taskforce on child poverty will look at the impact of the current benefits system on children from lower-income families?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about the impact of the current benefits system on children”The Bishop of Lincoln spoke in the King’s Speech debate on 19th July 2024, raising the issue of poverty in coastal and rural areas and the subsequent effects on children’s mental health and wellbeing:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, I share your Lordships’ appreciation of the noble Baronesses, Lady Barran and Lady Jolly, and I welcome the appointment of our new Ministers. The noble Baroness, Lady Merron, will know as much as I do about Lincolnshire and that, particularly in its coastal towns and rural areas, Lincolnshire suffers from intergenerational poverty, which has a very direct impact on children. I think your Lordships’ House has received two reports in the last 15 years about the poverty in our coastal towns, but nothing much has changed. If I have heard the Government correctly, I am glad to hear them express their intention to pay more attention to rural and coastal poverty, which is often hidden away when it is not in our big cities.
Therefore, I also particularly look forward to the progress of the children’s well-being Bill and the work of the newly announced child poverty unit. In moving forward in this area, how do His Majesty’s Government plan to involve faith communities in addressing these needs, particularly considering the concentration of faith communities in areas of poverty and deprivation, as my right reverend friend the Bishop of London referred to earlier?
Continue reading “King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Lincoln speaks on impact of poverty in rural and coastal communities”The Bishop of Lincoln spoke in debate on child poverty on 29th April 2024, highlighting the importance of effective infrastructure for housing and employment, and the experiences of children and families in rural communities:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Bird, for securing this debate and for his passion and his challenge. Like the noble Lord, I come from a poor London Irish family, but from south of the river, if that is allowed. We have heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, about the causes of child poverty and that they are systemic, and about the potential for changing them—not by exceptionalism, as may have applied in our cases.
As the Bishop of Lincoln, I am very conscious that in greater Lincolnshire I see vibrant resilient communities but, in the midst of a commendable spirit, there are considerable challenges. The effects of deep poverty feel widespread and tangible in a way that I have not seen since I began as a priest in the mid-1980s. Damp, low-quality accommodation, particularly in the private rented sector, has an impact felt particularly by children at crucial stages of their development. In response to this, the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community set out five values for good housing: it should be safe, sociable, sustainable, satisfying and secure. Failure to deliver this only serves to entrench child poverty.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln speaks in debate on combatting child poverty”The Bishop of Manchester tabled a question on the impact of the Household Support Fund on children’s bed poverty on 21st March 2024, calling for the government to consider a long term strategy for alleviating household poverty as the scheme comes to a close:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Household Support Fund on children’s bed poverty.
Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con, DWP): My Lords, an evaluation of the current household support fund scheme is under way to better understand the impact of the funding. In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an extension to the household support fund in England for a further six months, meaning that the Government will ensure that targeted support is available for those facing the most challenging financial circumstances as inflation falls. Subject to local decisions, this funding may be used to purchase beds and other household essentials for those in need.
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester tables question on child poverty and Household Support Fund”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.