The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the APPG for Rural Business and Rural Powerhouse Levelling Up the Rural Economy: An Inquiry into rural productivity, published on 27 April.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the rural economy”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to close the 18 per cent productivity gap in rural areas.
Lord Benyon (Con): Latest statistics show rural areas in England contributed over £260 billion to our economy in 2019. There are over half a million businesses registered in rural areas.
There are many successful rural businesses, providing high levels of employment, and vital supply chains. However, we know that productivity in some rural areas has fallen behind other parts of the country.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about productivity in rural areas”
The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the Working Practices – International Agreements Committee Report on 19th May 2022:
My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. Although I am not a member of this committee, I am very grateful for this report and enjoyed reading it, including its stress on the role of Parliament, not just in approving what has been decided but in the issues we are discussing now.
I found the previous speech very helpful. Why is there such reluctance to allow Parliament—both its Houses—to engage at a much earlier stage? This House is renowned for its extraordinary levels of experience, both in international diplomacy and negotiation and in the actual substance of many of the areas in which we are trying to get treaties and memoranda of understanding. Surely all it will do in the long run, if we can simply go ahead and give Parliament time, is to allow that experience to come out and be brought together. This is precisely what we should be doing.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans speaks in a debate on international agreements”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 27th April 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of rural communities’ access to reliable broadband on the fiscal wellbeing of businesses in those areas.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about broadband access in rural areas”24th May 2021
Rt Hon Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on what steps the Church of England is taking to support the diocese of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield; and what plans the Church of England has to support dioceses with large rural parishes.
Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): Diocesan resourcing of mission and ministry is supported by congregational giving, historic investments and other income. Additional support is provided from national funds generated by the investments of the Church Commissioners and distributed by the Archbishops’ Council.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners written answer: rural parish support”
The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition and pay tribute to the Minister, who has worked so hard on getting this through.Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about Agriculture Transition Plan”
On 26th November 2020 the Bishop of St Albans asked a question he had tabled to Government on tabled a question he had asked about the rural economy. The exchange is below, with the further questions asked by other Members:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their response to the report by the Select Committee on the Rural Economy Time for a strategy for the rural economy (HL Paper 330, Session 2017-19), what progress they have made towards their strategic vision for rural communities. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about rural economy”
On 16th November 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on gigabit-capable rural broadband:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 3 November (HL9493), whether the commitment to provide gigabit-capable broadband nationwide will be rolled out equitably between rural and urban communities. [HL10103] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rural broadband rollout”
On 12th November 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on rural infrastructure investment:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their decision to launch a one-year Spending Review, whether their multi-year capital allocation for priority infrastructure projects includes projects in rural areas, in particular (1) the Community Housing Fund, especially for rural affordable housing schemes, and (2) the Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund. [HL9791] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rural infrastructure investment”
On 26th October 2020 the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on public spending in rural areas:
Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 7 October (HL8550) and (HL8549), what plans they have to provide copies of the official-level guidance and templates setting out their priorities for the Comprehensive Spending Review; and how they will ensure that funding assessments are ‘rural proofed’ and do not unreasonably disadvantage rural communities. [HL8989] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about spending in rural areas”
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