Bishop of Rochester asks about engagement by faith communities in COVID-19 Pandemic response

The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on how faith communities might continue to address the needs of communities in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic on 7th January 2021, and spoke in a debate on the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation and Linked Households) (England) Regulations 2020:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, if any may have doubted the seriousness of the current situation, they had only to watch last night’s BBC report from University College Hospital, or to note that we are once again seeing multiple deaths in care home settings. Along with the Prime Minister’s Statement, it was announced that places of worship in England may remain open. I know that that has been welcomed by some faith communities, although others have already gone largely online. However, all such communities continue to engage with energy in acts of pastoral and community service. In the light of this, would the Leader of the House care to suggest what she and her colleagues would most wish to ask of our faith communities? What further might we offer? I believe that the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, may already have provided part of an answer.

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Bishop of Rochester asks about support for charities working in local communities

The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on support for smaller charities on 6th January 2021, during a discussion on financial support for religious groups during the COVID-19 pandemic:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord McCrea, as his Question enables me to acknowledge with thanks to the support which has been received by religious groups and charities, not least through the furlough arrangements, which have been a considerable help for many of them. However, in looking to the future, I join others in urging Her Majesty’s Government to keep particularly in mind the needs of smaller charities, which are often religious, community and locally based in character, whose work with young people, the homeless, those in debt, the elderly and other groups has been growing in this time, while their voluntary income has often been diminishing. Perhaps I can tempt the Minister by suggesting that Her Majesty’s Government might consider using their new-found freedoms to exchange the current scheme, whereby VAT is reimbursed on works relating to listed places of worship, for one where it is not charged in the first place.

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Bishop of Southwark asks Government about Covid vaccinations for prison inmates and staff

On 16th December the Bishop of Southwark asked a question in the House of Lords during exchanges following a question about prisoners with Covid-19:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark [V]: Your Lordships will have heard me mention that there are five prison establishments located within my diocese. In respect of one of them, will the noble Baroness join me in paying tribute to the governor of Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth, Graham Barrett, who was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his sterling efforts during the Covid pandemic in keeping infection rates so low in the jail—and indeed to all Prison Service staff recognised in this way for achieving so much in such challenging circumstances?
As the noble Baroness is aware from the previous supplementary question, out-of-cell activity in many establishments is now limited to one hour or less in 24. Can she assure the House that such provision will not slip beyond the 24-hour period into longer periods of confinement, which happens when the 24-hour period is variable?
Will any priority be given to rolling out the vaccine to inmates and staff?

 

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Bishop of Durham asks about uplift in universal credit

On 16th December 2020 the Bishop of Durham received a written answer to two questions of Government on making permanent the temporary increase to Universal Credit and legacy benefits:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors they will consider in their review of whether to make permanent the temporary Universal Credit uplift; and when they plan to announce the outcome of that review. [HL11202]

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by more than 60 organisations and bishops on 29 November on the Universal Credit uplift and legacy benefits; and what plans they have to extend the uplift to legacy benefits. [HL11203]

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Bishop of Southwark asks about support for arts supply chain affected by covid-19

On 15th December the Bishop of Southwark asked a question during exchanges on the the impact of Covid-19 on the cultural and arts sectors:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark [V]: My Lords, will the Minister please comment on what is being done to support the huge supply chain of talent, materials and suppliers for live events and performances?
As the Minister is doubtless aware, there are decades of expertise within these sectors, which also support film production, television and festivals—everything from catering to lighting, scenery, special effects, equipment hire, publicity and venue hire. These are all in danger of being wiped out and will be extremely difficult to re-establish if businesses and freelancers are not supported at this stage.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about funding for charitable hospices facing loss of income due to Covid-19

On 15th December 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to two questions on hospice funding:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to provide funding to charitable hospice care providers who have lost community funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL10989]
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to provide funding to Rennie Grove Hospice Care to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL10991]

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Bishop of St Albans asks if Uighur forced labour was used to produce UK PPE

On 10th December the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on whether Uighur forced labour had been used in production of PPE bought by Government for use in the UK:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether Uighur forced labour was used in the production of personal protective equipment purchased by the UK from Medwell Medical Products; and what plans they have to implement due diligence checks to ensure that items purchased by the UK have not been produced using such forced labour. [HL10106]

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Bishop of St Albans asks about coronavirus impact on hospice funding

On 2nd December the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on hospice funding and coronavirus:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on charitable hospice care providers. [HL10540]
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have put in place to financially support charitable hospice care providers; and what assessment they have made of the impact of visiting restrictions in hospitals on the level of demand experienced by such providers. [HL10541]

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Bishop of London asks about elderly domestic abuse during covid-19 lockdown

On 1st December 2020 the Bishop of London asked an oral question on research into facts about domestic abuse of older people during the Covid-19 lockdown:
The Lord Bishop of London [V] : My Lords, as the Minister has commented, at present, we only collect data on those aged between 60 and 74. While she is making a commitment to work with the ONS to collect data on those aged over 74, will she commit to removing this age limit so we can highlight the experience of this older demographic?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about covid-19 rules on outdoor carol singing

On 1st December 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on outdoor carol singing and coronavirus:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether outdoor congregational carol singing will be permitted as part of their COVID-19 Winter Plan. [HL10710]

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