The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 24th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the rise in shoplifting.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rise in shoplifting rates, and illegal medical treatments for epilepsy”On 12th December 2024, the Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on tackling domestic abuse, stressing the need to focus on prevention of violence through education:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, homes and relationships should be places where people feel safe and loved but, with Northumbria Police receiving about 115 calls about domestic abuse per day, this is sadly not the case for many. The north-east has particularly high rates of domestic violence, at 19 per 1,000 population according to Health Equity North, while the average for the whole of England is 13.
Steps are being taken to reduce this number, with Northumbria Police having placed domestic abuse specialists in their emergency call rooms since 2022. The project has received positive feedback, and I welcome the Government’s plans to introduce this more widely through Raneem’s law.
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle emphasises need to focus on prevention of domestic violence”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on initiatives to tackle rural crime on 10th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I congratulate His Majesty’s Government on the laudable aim of increasing the number of police and others in front-line services. As I travel around Beds and Herts, I hear that there are plans for cuts in policing. This is at a time when in rural areas there is a fear of rural crime, which I do not think will be addressed by what will predominantly be allocation in urban areas. It is very real; there is a lot of fear and huge costs, particularly to our farming community. What can His Majesty’s Government do to build on the success of initiatives such as Operation Ragwort, which worked across counties? It made a significant improvement without huge additional cost.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about tackling rural crime”
On 6th November 2024, the Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the National Rural Crime Unit since its inception.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln asks about National Rural Crime Unit”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th October 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether it remains their policy to increase the minimum income for spouse/partner visas to £38,700 by 2025.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about visas for married people, driving test availability, tackling robbery, and rural crime”On 12th September 2024, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on the government’s assessment of the NFU Mutual’s recent rural crime report:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of NFU Mutual’s Rural Crime Report 2024, published on 1 August.
Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab, Home Office): I begin by thanking the National Farmers’ Union Mutual for its report. Rural crime can have a devastating effect on, and consequences for, countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why the Government are committed to reducing crime in rural areas. Under our proposed reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour and strengthen neighbourhood policing, as well as stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rural crime”The Bishop of Hereford received the following written answer on 23rd May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 May (HL4028), why they do not keep records on individuals who are not British citizens who have had their visitor or other visas rescinded because of criminal activities associated with public order offences since 7 October 2023.
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about visa cancellations associated with public order offences”On 21st May 2024, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Prisoners Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a bishop took part:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about damage caused by use of sling-shots in rural areas”On 30th April 2024, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Prisoners Bill in the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
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