On 2nd August 2018 the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler received a written answer from Lord Bates about Child Tax Credit.
Tag: Durham
Written Answer – Bishop of Durham questions the Government about Social Security Benefits and two child limit.
On the 25 July 2018 the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler received three written answers from Lord Bates about the number of households affected by the two child limit.
Bishop of Durham asks Government about families affected by two-child limit on welfare benefits
On 25th July 2018 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received three written answers to questions about families affected by the two-child limit on benefit claims:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children published on 28 June by HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions, of the 70,620 households affected, and not in receipt of an exception, what are the number of households with (1) 3 dependent children, (2) 4 dependent children, and (3) 5 or more dependent children. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about families affected by two-child limit on welfare benefits”
Bishop of Durham says support for community in Salisbury and Amesbury as important as support for local economy
On 9th July 2018 Baroness Williams of Trafford repeated a Statement updating the House on the Amesbury incident which the Home Secretary had previously made in the Commons. The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, responded to the Statement:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, as it happens, over the weekend I was talking to a member of the clergy who is a resident of Salisbury. I simply asked her how it feels, and she said, “Grim and deeply disturbing”, because of the second occurrence. She said that people were just beginning to come out of this and now they do not know how to react. She was talking about community life, businesses and so on. In exploring support for businesses, does the Minister understand that this feels like a double hit for people in Salisbury, and that community encouragement and up-building is needed, not simply economic support? I ask this largely in the name of my noble friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Salisbury. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham says support for community in Salisbury and Amesbury as important as support for local economy”
Bishop of Durham asks Government to hire more Personal Independence Payment assessors with expertise in mental health
On 19th June 2018 Baroness Thomas of Winchester asked Her Majesty’s Government “what action they intend to take to improve the outcome of Personal Independence Payment assessments in the light of the increasing number of successful appeals.” The Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, personal independence payments make a significant difference to those living with mental health difficulties. Sadly, Mind found that only 8% of the 800 it surveyed felt that the assessor understood their mental health and 90% felt that the claims process itself had a negative impact on their well-being. Will Her Majesty’s Government require assessment providers to ensure that they hire more assessors with proper experience of working with people with mental health issues, and audit the quality of the mental health training? Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government to hire more Personal Independence Payment assessors with expertise in mental health”
Vote: EU (Withdrawal) Bill
On 18th June 2018 the EU (Withdrawal) Bill returned to the House of Lords for consideration of the Commons amendments. Viscount Hailsham tabled an amendment on a ‘meaningful vote’ for MPs in a no-deal scenario. The Bishops of Durham, Lincoln and Worcester voted on the amendment: Continue reading “Vote: EU (Withdrawal) Bill”
Bishop of Durham asks Government about ‘rape clause’ exemption on two-child limit for new benefit claims
On 18th June 2018 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question about the Government’s two-child limit on tax credit and universal credit claims:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to amend the ordering restriction on the exemption from the two-child limit for children born as a result of non-consensual conception. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about ‘rape clause’ exemption on two-child limit for new benefit claims”
