Tag: Durham

Bishop of Durham asks about freezing of local housing allowance

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 14th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on families of freezing local housing allowance rates for the past three years.

Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con, DWP): No Assessment has been made, however the department works closely with stakeholders, Jobcentres and Local Authorities to understand the impact of its policies on families.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) policy is kept under regular review and rates are reviewed annually by the Secretary of State. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.

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Votes: Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill

On 13th September 2023, the House of Lords debated the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill in the Report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the Bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Children and Families Act Committee Report: Bishop of Durham speaks on importance of childhood experience

On 6th September 2023, the Bishop of Durham spoke in a committee debate on a report from the Children and Families Act 2014 Committee: A Failure of implementation, referencing the findings of the Archbishops Commission on Families and Households and the need to safeguard children as being at the heart of Christian teaching:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, for securing this debate, and the whole Children and Families Act Committee for its work on this excellent report and for highlighting all the issues.

Our experiences of childhood and family life shape who we are and who we become. When children and families flourish, society flourishes. This is not a new understanding: in the little we hear of Jesus as a child, the gospel writer Luke highlights how he grew physically, socially, intellectually and spiritually. His childhood shaped his adult ministry.

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Bishop of Durham asks about reinstation of asylum applications

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on time allowed for consideration of asylum requests, during a discussion on the asylum applications backlog on 6th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: Returning to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, how long does the Home Office consider a reasonable length of time for an asylum seeker to provide reasons and evidence as to why their asylum request should be reinstated after receiving a decision and the application is withdrawn? Will the Government publish statistics on the number of applicants reinstated?

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Votes: Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill

On 6th September 2023, the House of Lords debated the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill in the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Bishop of Durham asks about impact of increased job search requirements for lead carers in families

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the book by Kate Andersen Welfare That Works for Women? Mothers’ Experiences of the Conditionality within Universal Credit, published in January, what assessment they have made of the impact on families of increasing the job search requirements for lead carers.

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Bishop of Durham asks about Rwanda’s support of rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to join the US and the United Nations in urging Rwanda to end its support to the M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK continues to monitor the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) closely and its grave humanitarian consequences. We regularly raise the conflict in eastern DRC with the Governments of DRC, Rwanda, and the region, where we urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda processes. This includes the cessation of hostilities, respect for sovereignty and agreed withdrawal by armed groups including M23.

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Bishop of Durham asks about conditionality requirement within universal credit

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the book by Kate Andersen Welfare That Works for Women? Mothers’ Experiences of the Conditionality within Universal Credit, published in January, what assessment they have made of their decision to introduce automated sanctions and intensify the conditionality regime for lead carers.

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Bishop of Durham asks about links between absenteeism and mental health & wellbeing in young people

On 20th July 2023, the Bishop of Durham asked a question on connections between absences from school and mental health, wellbeing and special educational needs:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I declare my interest as chair of the National Society and thank the Minister for visiting the north-east recently. The Church of England has just published a flourishing schools document, which I know she has. Absenteeism appears to also be connected to mental health and well-being; there are particular issues around special educational needs. Could the Minister comment on the work that is being done to note the connection with mental health and well-being and improve that to help with absenteeism?

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Bishop of Durham asks about work requirements under universal credit

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 19th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to book by Kate Andersen Welfare That Works for Women? Mothers’ Experiences of the Conditionality within Universal Credit, published in January, what steps they are taking to ensure that work-related requirements are appropriate to parents’ caring responsibilities.

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