Bishop of St Albans asks about supply of aid and medical equipment to Gaza

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the issue of supplying aid and medical supplies to hospitals in Gaza on 10th February 2025, following a repeat of a Commons Statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: Reports coming out of the country show the desperate need to get not only aid but medical supplies there. I pay tribute to His Majesty’s Government for all that they have done so far, but the issue is how we get aid and medical supplies in. In particular, reports are coming out that the Anglican-run al-Ahli Hospital is in a desperate state. What else can His Majesty’s Government do to ensure that we get medicine and supplies in there and to other medical facilities?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of beaver reintroduction

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 7th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of a pair of beavers to the River Glaven in Norfolk in 2022 on (1) water pollution, and (2) flood risk.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about environmental risk of pesticides

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the environmental risk of pesticides used in flea and tick treatments; and what plans they have to restrict their use.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about avian influenza research

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on support for research centres during a discussion on avian influenza on 4th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, research is absolutely fundamental at this point as we monitor what is going on and its very worrying effects. What are His Majesty’s Government doing to support centres such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency in New Haw, which is trying to work on this and desperately needs to redevelop its facilities?

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Bishop of St Albans urges creation of new youth mobility scheme for UK and Europe

On 30th January 2025, the Bishop of St Albans led a debate on the case for a new youth mobility scheme with European countries:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans moved: That this House takes note of the case for a new youth mobility scheme with European countries.

My Lords, youth mobility schemes are a topical subject in this Parliament at the moment. A Private Member’s Bill on this very subject is making its way through the other place, which yesterday held a debate on youth mobility schemes with the EU. In this Chamber, we had a Question on it from the noble Lord, Lord Balfe, last week and a Question today from the noble Lord, Lord Liddle. I am aware that a number of noble Lords have already asked supplementaries and I look forward to the opportunity for them to develop some of those points more fully in this debate. In particular, I look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Moraes.

I believe that the need for closer ties with our European neighbours is more pressing now than it has been for some time. There are many reasons for that, but, with the Ukrainian war and increasing geopolitical instability likely to exacerbate existing migration issues, the need for international co-operation is all the more important, especially with those countries that are quite literally our neighbours. I hope this debate will provide an opportunity to think how we might maximise the opportunities for our young people to experience study, work, leisure, sport, music and so on in the wider world beyond our shores.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about prevention of illegal beaver release

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to prevent the illegal release of beavers into the wild.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab, DEFRA): This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about use of unregulated epilepsy treatments

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of parents illegally accessing cannabinoid epilepsy treatments for their children.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about rules around beaver reintroduction in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have decided not to introduce a formal wild release licensing system for beavers, and if so, what assessment they have made of the implications for their climate change and sustainability strategies.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about status of refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand and Bangladesh

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 29th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Thailand regarding Uyghur asylum seekers detained there.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of beavers on the landscape recovery and flood management

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 28th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reintroducing beavers on landscape recovery and natural flood management.

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