Bishop of St Albans asks Government about prosecutions for hare coursing

On 3rd April 2019 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received written answers to three questions on prosecutions for hare coursing.

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many
successful prosecutions for hare coursing there were in the UK in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, (3) 2015, (4) 2016, (5) 2017, and (6) 2018.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions for hare coursing were brought to trial which did not lead to a guilty verdict in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, (3) 2015, (4) 2016, (5) 2017, and (6) 2018. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about prosecutions for hare coursing”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about guidance to police on street preachers

StAlbans051218On 3rd April 2019 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received written answers to two questions on street preachers.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they provide to police officers on dealing with incidents involving street preachers.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about guidance to police on street preachers”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government if it will ban or regulate loot boxes in online games

On 29th March 2019 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on online gaming.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) ban loot boxes in online games, and (2) regulate such loot boxes through the Gambling Commission. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government if it will ban or regulate loot boxes in online games”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about youth centres in rural areas

On 29th March the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on youth services in rural areas:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report State of Rural Services 2018, published by Rural England in February, and in particular of the impact of the closure of youth centres on young people; and what impact access to services has on young people’s engagement in risky behaviour compared to those living in urban areas. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about youth centres in rural areas”

Bishop of St Albans asks about Yemen: humanitarian aid, weapons, and peace

On 25th and 28th March 2019 the Bishop of St Albans received answers to four written questions on Yemen: humanitarian aid, weapons, and peace:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans

(i) To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of access to humanitarian aid (1) entering, and (2) being distributed in Yemen. HL14603

(ii) To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any information from third parties about use of weapons supplied by British companies in the Yemen conflict. HL14604

(iii) To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they spent funding (1) local peace actors, (2) aid partners, and (3) others involved in promoting a path to peace in the Yemen conflict. HL14602

(iv) To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the visit to Aden by the Foreign Secretary, whether they have had any further discussion with the UN’s Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen and other local powers about finding a sustainable peace in that country; and if so, what agreements have been reached between the UK and others. HL14605

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about Yemen: humanitarian aid, weapons, and peace”

Bishop of St Albans asks about protecting children from effects of air pollution

On 25th and 26th March 2019 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received written answers to questions on protecting children from effects of air pollution:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration has been given to developing a cross-governmental healthy air for children action plan as part of a national framework to protect children and young people from toxic air. HL14480 Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about protecting children from effects of air pollution”

Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling related suicides

On 25th March 2019 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on problem gambling-related suicide:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Gambling disorder, increased mortality, suicidality, and associated comorbidity: A longitudinal nationwide register study, published in November 2018; and in particular its finding that problem gamblers are 15 times more likely to take their own lives. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling related suicides”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about gambling by students and young people

On 20th March 2019 the Bishop of St Albans Rt Revd Alan Smith, received written answers to three questions on gambling, students and young people:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:

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(i) To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the National Union of Students’ gambling survey, published on 25 February, that (1) three in five students have gambled in some way over the past 12 months, (2) almost one in ten have used all or some of their student loan to gamble, and (3) four per cent of respondents owed over £20,000 as a result of gambling.

(ii) To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the National Union of Students’ gambling survey, published on 25 February, that 29 per cent of respondents were under the age of 16 when they had first gambled.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about gambling by students and young people”

Votes – Offensive Weapons Bill

On 19th March 2019 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Offensive Weapons Bill. A vote took place on an amendment to the Bill, in which two bishops took part: Continue reading “Votes – Offensive Weapons Bill”

Bishop of St Albans asks if DfID will work with churches on relief effort following Cyclone Idai

On 19th March 2019 Lord Elton asked the Government “what response the UK is making to help address the impact of Cyclone Idai in parts of southern Africa”. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, such is the devastation that reports are only slowly coming in from some of the most damaged areas. We are hearing reports from a number of the Anglican dioceses in different parts of the Communion and from a number of bishops, including Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, who has launched an appeal and is mobilising people on the ground. Will the Minister assure us that DfID will work closely with those networks and organisations on the ground, such as the dioceses and the Christian communities which have the networks in place and know what is going on locally? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks if DfID will work with churches on relief effort following Cyclone Idai”