Tag: St Albans

Bishop of St Albans asks for reassurances on food standards post-Brexit

On Thursday 2nd February Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty’s Government “what measures they will put in place following Brexit to safeguard environmental standards and biodiversity.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question:

stalbans190117-bThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, we are all reassured that EU environmental legislation is going to be enshrined within UK law, but we will probably be coming out of the single market and entering into a series of trade negotiations with, for example, the United States. Trade negotiations are just that: we will have to make compromises. Will the Minister assure the House that we will not be producing our food to lower standards or consuming food that has been produced more cheaply by undercutting our industry—for example, chicken washed in chlorine and beef reared on growth hormones? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks for reassurances on food standards post-Brexit”

Bishop of St Albans asks government about number of forced marriages and support for those sent abroad

stalbans190117On the 23rd and 24th January 2017, the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received answers to written questions about British children being sent abroad to marry, and about the Forced Marriage Unit’s policy of not paying for the repatriation of British nationals forced to marry abroad.

Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the total number of (1) British nationals under the age of 16, and (2) British nationals aged 16–17, sent abroad in 2016 in order to enter into a forced marriage.

Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases the Forced Marriage Unit dealt with in 2015 and 2016 respectively, in which (1) British nationals under the age of 16, and (2) British nationals aged 16–17, were sent abroad in order to enter into a forced marriage. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks government about number of forced marriages and support for those sent abroad”

Bishop of St Albans raises concerns about self-harm by young people

stalbans190117On 19th January 2017 Labour Peer Lord Hunt of King’s Heath asked Her Majesty’s Government “what is their assessment of Young Minds’ analysis published on 21 December 2016 that 64 per cent of Clinical Commissioning Groups are diverting new funding for children’s mental health services to other areas”. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, this is a very serious and growing problem. Recent research has shown over the last five years that the number of hospital admissions associated with children’s self-harm has grown by 93% among girls and 45% among boys. It seems extraordinary that when money is announced for mental health services it is then not spent. First, how many years will we wait until we need to ring-fence that money, because this is a really important issue? Secondly, to pick up on the previous but one question, will the Government commit to producing guidelines for schools and colleges about preventing and responding to self-harm, so that we have some practical things put in place? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans raises concerns about self-harm by young people”

Bishop of St Albans presses Government on Burma and Rohingya citizenship

St Albans 2On the 12th January 2017 Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead held a debate about the treatment of the Rohingya Muslim people in Burma. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith,  pressed the Government to encourage the Burmese authorities to move towards full citizenship and rights for the Rohingya community, and to allow access for independent monitors to northern Rakhine.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the plight of the Rohingya Muslims is indeed desperate and the emergence in 2016 of an organised militant insurgency has only deepened the severity of that crisis. But such an escalation is hardly surprising. As the excellent report into the situation in Rakhine state by Crisis Group puts it:
“People pushed to desperation and anger, with no hope for the future, are more likely to embrace extremist responses, however counterproductive”.

The systematic persecution of the Rohingya people by the Burmese Government, most obviously manifested in the denial of citizenship to Rohingya Muslims, has created a fertile recruiting ground for militants. It is a simple human truth that people who have no say in their future and no means to participate in the democratic life of their country are liable to resort to extremism in order to achieve those means. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans presses Government on Burma and Rohingya citizenship”

Bishop of St Albans questions Government about underage online gambling

St Albans 2On the 12th January 2017 the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith asked a question in the Lords about underage gambling online. Lord Ashton of Hyde responded for the Government. Those exchanges and the follow-up questions of Peers are reproduced below:

 The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to tackle the prevalence of underage gambling online, in the light of the Gambling Commission’s report Young People and Gambling 2016.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans questions Government about underage online gambling”

Bishop of St Albans on importance of welfare system that leaves no one hungry

On 21st December 2016 Lord Farmer led a short debate in the Lords, to ask Her Majesty’s Government “what progress they are making in rolling out Universal Credit, and what assessment they have made of its impact”. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, took part in the debate:

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, for this important debate. On behalf of these Benches, I take the opportunity to thank the Minister for his very considerable contribution, drive and service to this House, and wish him well as he leaves the Front Bench.

I think it is true to say that very few in this House disagree with the stated aims of universal credit—to simplify the benefits system and ensure that work always pays. However, I also suspect that there are quite a few of us in this House and, indeed, on these Benches, who fear that on occasion Her Majesty’s Government may have lost sight of that aim. Indeed, it seems that successive cuts to the welfare budget have been prioritised as an easy way of balancing the Government’s finances. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans on importance of welfare system that leaves no one hungry”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about situation of homeless migrants

St Albans 2On the 21st December 20165, Lord Shipley asked the Government “what is their latest estimate of the number of people who will be homeless or living in temporary accommodation over the Christmas period”. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, is the Minister aware of the Housing Justice Night Shelter IMPACT report, which was published this week? It found that of those in night shelters, 14% or roughly 268 were migrants with no recourse to public funds, support or indeed, of course, housing. Will the Minister tell the House what the Government are doing to speed up the process of resolving these difficult cases, which are causing such anxiety and suffering?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about situation of homeless migrants”

Bishop of St Albans expresses concern about rollout of Prevent Strategy

St Albans 2On 20th December 2016, Baroness Hussein-Ece asked the Government “how they are assessing and evaluating the success of the Prevent Strategy deradicalisation programme following the referral of approximately 4,000 people last year”. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans My Lords, a group of Christian leaders in Luton in my diocese are working closely with people of other faiths on the Prevent strategy. I have to say that I hear a very different narrative from the grass roots which is profoundly worrying. There is growing discontent at the rollout of the Prevent strategy due to a number of things such as religious illiteracy and some very heavy-handed actions. Would the Minister be willing to come and meet a group of leaders to hear about these concerns? These are people who want to try to make this work so that we can think about how to get it back on course and improve the situation. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans expresses concern about rollout of Prevent Strategy”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for rural affordable housing

St AlbansOn 15th December 2016 Lord Kennedy of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the impact of the availability of affordable housing on the ability of both private and public sector organisations to recruit and retain staff.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the lack of affordable housing in recruiting local workers is also felt acutely in many rural areas. Rural exemption sites have proved a good way of providing affordable housing, but with the uncertainty over the recent extension of right to buy, some landowners are reluctant to bring forward land. In light of this, will Her Majesty’s Government publish clear guidelines on the potential for restrictive covenants on rural exemption sites to provide affordable housing in perpetuity for local workers? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for rural affordable housing”

Votes: Policing and Crime Bill

On 12th December 2016 four bishops took part in three votes on amendments to the Government’s Policing and Crime Bill at its Report Stage in the House of Lords. Continue reading “Votes: Policing and Crime Bill”