The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what proportion of new fathers have taken (1) their full statutory paternity leave entitlement, and (2) shared parental leave, in each year since 2017.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about parental leave and paternity pay”The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government, in the light of the National Audit Office’s report Investigation into asylum accommodation, published on 20 March, which found that (1) using large sites to accommodate asylum seekers could cost £46 million more than using hotels, and (2) the Home Office rated their own plans as “high risk or undeliverable”, why the large sites accommodation programme will be continued.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about asylum accommodation in the UK”The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 27th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Markham on 11 March (HL Deb col 1802), and taking account of the latest Households Below Average Income data, which shows a 300,000 increase in the number of children living in absolute poverty in the past year, what assessment they have made of the impact on health and well-being of the two-child limit for child benefit; and what assessment they have made of the strengths and weaknesses of using the measure of absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of the two-child limit for child benefit on poverty”The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on threats to freedom of religion and belief in India on 14th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, the number of acts of religiously motivated violence against Christians in India has increased almost every year since 2014, from 147 to 687 in 2023. Last year, over 500 Christians were arrested under anti-conversion laws, including a couple and their pastor during their wedding, on the grounds that it was a conversion event. Will the Minister condemn this state of affairs and, if so, what steps will the Government take with their allies to defend the freedom of religion and belief in India?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about freedom of religion and belief in India”On 13th March 2024, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question on whether the government would increase the rate of statutory paternity pay entitlement in order to better support new families during a discussion on the wage gap between mothers and fathers in the UK:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, the same report from Pregnant Then Screwed also found that a significant proportion of new fathers and secondary parents simply cannot afford to take their full paternity leave because of the low level of statutory paternity pay. Most other European countries have far more generous paternity leave entitlements than the UK’s, in both length and pay, which bring benefits for family bonds and support gender equality. Will the Government commit to increasing the statutory leave entitlement so that families in the UK can also reap these benefits?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about rates of paternity pay”On 12th March 2024, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Prisoners Bill. The Bishop of Leicester spoke in support of amendments 165 & 166 to the bill, which would ensure provision of aftercare for those subject to IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentences:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I support this group of amendments and it is a pleasure to follow noble Lords and benefit from their considerable wisdom—I am in awe of the learning and wisdom on display this evening. I do not want to repeat a lot of what has been said, so I will keep my speech very short.
I have one or two reflections on Amendments 165 and 166, to which my right reverend friend the Bishop of Gloucester has added her name. She is a regular visitor to prisons across the country and supports the network of chaplains in our prisons who have direct evidence in relation to the mental health of prisoners.
Continue reading “Victims and Prisoners Bill: Bishop of Leicester supports aftercare provision for IPP prisoners”The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on support for a joined up approach across government, civil society, charities & faith institutions to support lower and middle income countries in management of debt on 12th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, as a country we carry a weighty moral debt to many low and middle-income countries, given our history. This moral debt is borne by business as well as government, and indeed by charities and faith institutions. Will the Government revisit the International Development Committee’s report on debt relief and the evidence supplied by the Jubilee Debt Campaign and Make Poverty History, to consider again how all sectors may work together to ensure a joined-up approach to supporting these countries?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about overseas debt management”The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the need for unpaid carers to have flexibility in their paid work on 12th March 2024, during a discussion on the development of a new national care strategy:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: The Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care, based on conversations with many unpaid carers, recommended that there should be a “New Deal” for carers including restorative breaks, financial support and support from employers, including paid leave and the right to request flexibility. Does the Minister agree that any future national care strategy should consider the need for unpaid carers to have flexibility in their paid work?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about flexible work for unpaid carers”The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the impact of the two-child limit on families receiving child benefit payments on 11th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, there is strong evidence that in the early 2000s increases in child benefits led to an increase in the amount parents spent on fruit and vegetables and books and toys for their children. What assessment have the Government made of the impact of the two-child limit on benefits and, in particular, on the health and well-being of the 1.5 million children affected?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of the two-child benefit limit”The Bishop of Leicester asked a question about the difficulties involved transferring funds to Sudan to aid displaced refugees, in particular the Sudanese Archbishop of Khartoum, on 29th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, the Archbishop of Khartoum has been forced to leave his home, along with his family and many of his people; they are now living in exile in Port Sudan. The Church of England dioceses with links to Sudan have tried to transfer funds to support the archbishop and his people, only to discover that banks are either unwilling or unable to transfer funds to Sudan. What assessment have the Government made of the banks’ willingness or ability to transfer funds in support of people who are suffering so terribly?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about difficulties involved in sending money to refugees in Sudan”
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