Tag: Southwell and Nottingham

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about agriculture subsidies

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 10th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to permitting farmers transitioning from Basic Payments to Delinked Payments to discount one or more of the years in the reference period as a result of (1) events outside their control, or (2) a mistake; and whether they intend to review and amend the Agriculture (Delinked Payments and Consequential Provisions) (England) Regulations 2023 in this regard.

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham raises issue of targeting of Anglican hospital and church in Gaza by Israeli forces

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the targeting of the Anglican Al-Ahli Hospital and the Holy Family Church in Gaza by Israeli forces on 19th December 2023, calling for recognition of Gaza’s Christian community and the prompt release of detained hospital staff:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: I am grateful to the Minister for his comments so far. I want to raise two specific incidents with His Majesty’s Government that are of particular concern to these Benches.

News arrived overnight of the actions of the Israel Defense Forces in destroying the entrance wall of the Anglican Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, closing that facility, detaining most of its staff and leaving a tank on the rubble. The second incident relates to comments made by the deputy mayor of Jerusalem on LBC radio this morning, where she was questioned about a sniper attack on two Christian women in the compound of the Holy Family Church. She said that there were no Christians or churches in Gaza and that they have been “driven out by Hamas”. There remains a small, yet highly visible, Christian community in Gaza, which is very notably engaged in the provision of Gaza’s healthcare facilities.

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Data Protection & Digital Information Bill: Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham emphasizes importance of public trust in institutions

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham spoke in a debate at the second reading of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill on 19th December 2023, pointing out the importance of public trust in institutions handling personal data:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I too welcome the noble Lord, Lord de Clifford. I pay tribute to his maiden speech and thank him for his insightful and valuable contribution to this debate. I also look forward to many future occasions on which he will contribute to the work of this House.

As the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans has said, we on these Benches recognise that high-quality data is crucial to creating and sustaining a healthy and efficient society. However, it is vital to get the balance right between ownership, access, control, and legitimate use of that data. Human flourishing should be at the front of regulating how data is used and reused. As we said in our written response to the Government’s 2020 data consultation:

“Fundamentally, the church welcomes any technology that augments human dignity and worth, while staunchly resisting any application of data that undermines that dignity. Questions of efficiency and cost-effectiveness are subsidiary to questions about how the types and uses of data will promote human flourishing in society and best practice in public bodies”.

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about funding to assist voluntary and charitable efforts to combat homelessness

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on increased funding to assist the homeless, and to support efforts by the charitable & voluntary sector to do so, during a debate on rates of homelessness during Christmas on 18th December 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, like many places, Nottingham is suffering from the cost of living crisis, fuel and food poverty, a decline of social housing and a growing shortage of private rented sector properties, which is compounded by the shortfall between the local housing allowance and rents. Framework Housing Association and Emmanuel House do exceptional work, together with the city council, in seeking to help the 10,000 people on the waiting list with an unmet housing need, alongside the street homeless. But the rising demand for social care and increased homelessness have contributed to the council issuing a Section 114 notice. If His Majesty’s Government agree that the charitable and voluntary sector is such a key partner in addressing these needs, can the Minister offer more direct funding to help the homeless in cities such as Nottingham?

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Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham urges access for medical supplies to enter Gaza following bombing of the Al-Ahli hospital

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the airstrike on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on 19th October 2023, highlighting the need for medical supplies and aid to be allowed entry to Gaza and calling for hospitals to be protected:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: I am grateful to the Minister for highlighting the very real connections that there are between the Anglican Church and the hospital. The Al-Ahli hospital is run by the Anglican province of Jerusalem, as he knows, and built around the sacred and historic St Philip’s church, which was subject to such an horrendous incident on Tuesday. We grieve with all those who grieve the suffering and the innocent deaths in Israel and Gaza arising from the atrocious attack by Hamas.

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Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about impact of NHS waiting times

On 19th October 2023, the Bishop of & Nottingham asked a question on the impact of long NHS waiting times on children and families:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: My Lords, the delays in treatment for long-term sickness do not just affect those returning to work but have a secondary impact on family life. Have the Government assessed the effect of these delays on children and young people under 18, who frequently take on additional caring responsibilities for parents with long-term sickness, although this is often detrimental to their education and their emotional and mental health?

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about supported housing hosts for children in care

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 19th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what steps they are taking to recruit more supported lodgings hosts to accommodate 16 and 17 year olds in care.
  • what support they are providing to local authorities (1) to establish new supported lodgings schemes, or (2) to expand existing schemes.

Baroness Barran (Con): The government believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality setting that meets their needs and keeps them safe. That is why the department is investing over £140 million to introduce mandatory national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers of supported accommodation for 16 and 17 year old looked after children and care leavers, including supported lodgings. Ofsted began registering providers on 28 April 2023, and registration will become mandatory from 28 October 2023.

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Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about support for unpaid carers

The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asked a question on support for unpaid carers on 12th July 2023, during a debate on waiting lists for community health services:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: My Lords, in a recent survey of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, over 90% agreed that unpaid carers are now coming forward with an increased level of need, with directors ranking burnout as the number one reason for the increasing carer breakdown over the past year. Unpaid carers are clearly bearing the brunt of shortages in health and social care support, so can the Minister say what the Government can do to help more with unpaid carers?

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Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks question on post-EU funding for farmers

On 21st June 2023, the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham tabled a question on whether DEFRA had published sufficient detail relating to post-EU funding to allow farmers to plan for the future:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs has published sufficient detail in relation to post-EU funding to enable those working in farming to plan for the future; and what assessment they have made of any adverse consequences for the mental health and wellbeing of such people.

Lord Harlech (Con): My Lords, I declare my farming and land management interests as set out in the register. I start by paying tribute to the right reverend Prelate for the incredible work that he has done in support of his community in respect of the horrific events occurring in Nottingham on 13 June.

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Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about means of identifying bereaved children

The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham received the following written answer on 6th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to identify bereaved children in official statistics for the purposes of meeting their needs.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con): The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

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