Tag: St Albans

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about case of Asia Bibi

On 21st March 2016 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on the case of Asia Bibi.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case of Asia Bibi, currently sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy. [HL6793]

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office remains concerned about the case of Ms Bibi and continues to follow her appeal process closely. The Supreme Court suspended the death sentence to allow for appeal in July 2015, but she does not yet have a hearing date.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about case of Asia Bibi”

Housing Bill: Bishop of St Albans puts amendment to require assessment of needs of Gypsies and Travellers

On 17th March 2016 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke to an amendment he had tabled, which was co-sponsored by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams of Oystermouth. The amendment, to clause 115 of the Bill, concerned the requirement on local authorities to assess the needs of Gypsies and Travellers. It was withdrawn after debate, as is usual at committee.The Bishops’ speech and the Minister’s response are below:

THE LORD BISHOP OF ST ALBANS
BARONESS BAKEWELL OF HARDINGTON MANDEVILLE
BARONESS WHITAKER
LORD WILLIAMS OF OYSTERMOUTH

82H Page 53, line 1, leave out subsection (2)

 

StAlbans171115The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 82H, which has broad support across this House. This is a simple probing amendment that would seek to retain Sections 225 and 226 of the Housing Act 2004 in legislation, requiring local authorities to undertake a direct assessment of Gypsy and Traveller needs. I shall also speak to Amendment 82GD, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Beecham, which may point towards an alternative way forward. Continue reading “Housing Bill: Bishop of St Albans puts amendment to require assessment of needs of Gypsies and Travellers”

Bishop of St Albans praises work of credit unions in schools

On 17th March 2016  Lord Young of Cookham asked Her Majesty’s Government, “following their announcement concerning the Help to Save scheme, how many people in work and receiving either Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit are expected to benefit from that scheme.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

Bishop St Albans June 2015The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, will the Minister affirm the importance, in addition to the Help to Save scheme, of the increasing number of credit unions which routinely go into schools to try and create a culture of saving from the very earliest age, to address the endemic problem of a presupposition of debt? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans praises work of credit unions in schools”

Bishop of St Albans asks about the social impact of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals

On 15th March 2016, the Lord Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked the Government “what assessment they have made of the social impact of category B2 gaming machines.” The Earl of Courtown responded on behalf of the Government.

StAlbans171115

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the social impact of category B2 gaming machines. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the social impact of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals”

Gambling Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports move to regulate fixed odds betting terminals

On 11th March 2016 the House of Lords considered at Second Reading the Gambling (Categorisation and Use of B2 Gaming Machines) Bill [HL] – a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Lord Clement Jones. Introducing the Bill, Lord Clement Jones said

“Fixed-odds betting terminals—FOBTs—are touch-screen roulette machines in betting shops that allow the user to bet up to £100 every 20-second spin.  It is clear that the experiment to allow high-speed roulette in easily accessible betting shops has been a disaster..The essence of my Bill is to reduce the stake to £2 a spin.”

The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in support of the Bill.

StAlbans171115The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for taking forward the Bill, which I support. It enables us to have an opportunity to discuss an area of deep concern to many people on all sides of the House. There is little doubt that B2 gaming machines can be very addictive, which is why, for well over a decade now, successive Governments have talked tough about regulating them, although it seems to me that regulation is not tough enough. This modest Bill is immensely helpful. Continue reading “Gambling Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports move to regulate fixed odds betting terminals”

Housing and Planning Bill: Bishop of St Albans argues for rural housing association homes to be exempt from right to buy plans

On 8th March 2016 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, supported an amendment to clause 62 of the Bill, on social housing and the right to buy. The amendment, which was withdrawn after debate, sought to prevent right to buy applying to housing association properties in rural areas unless in exceptional cases.

Bishop St Albans June 2015The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I support Amendment 56, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Royall, to which I have added my name. I, along with other noble Lords, have received a number of letters from people living in rural areas who are deeply concerned at what seem the inevitable consequences if this issue is not addressed.

The major force of this amendment, as the noble Baroness pointed out, would be to change the emphasis in the current right-to-buy arrangement from one in which housing associations can choose to exempt themselves from exercising right to buy in rural areas, as per the current agreement, to one in which housing associations would be unable to exercise right to buy in rural areas, unless in exceptional cases, as set out in proposed new subsection (1A) of the amendment.

The rationale for the amendment is pretty simple. Affordable housing should not be sold off in communities where it will not be replaced. Continue reading “Housing and Planning Bill: Bishop of St Albans argues for rural housing association homes to be exempt from right to buy plans”

Bishop of St Albans asks about localism and Starter Homes

Bishop St Albans June 2015On 7th March 2016, Lord Shipley asked the Government “what is their definition of affordable housing.” The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a supplementary question and Baroness Williams of Trafford responded. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about localism and Starter Homes”

Bishop of St Albans – technological goods should be designed to last longer

On 3rd March 2016 the House of Lords considered a questions for short debate tabled by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the principles of the circular economy, based on the re-use, repair, refurbishment and recycling of existing materials and products, to protect the environment, give new growth opportunities and avoid waste.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in the debate:

 

Bishop St Albans June 2015The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, my thanks also go to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, for this important debate on the circular economy.

I want to spend just a few moments highlighting the economic and environmental impact of planned obsolescence—this has already been referred to —particularly in technological goods, which we know is used by companies to drive growth and ensure a steady supply of return customers. It is a business model that relies on technological products needing to be upgraded and/or replaced at regular intervals, whether because they go out of fashion, have a limited lifespan, or are difficult or expensive to repair. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans – technological goods should be designed to last longer”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government to ensure new prison designs take account of mental health needs

On 3rd March 2016 Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames asked Her Majesty’s Government “what steps they are taking to tackle the incidence of deaths, serious assaults and incidents of self-harm in prison.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

 

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, in the light of the welcome announcement last autumn that a number of the old, unsuitable prisons were going to be replaced with purpose-built ones, will the Minister assure the House that the specifications for those new-builds will take very careful account of mental health issues, consulting with the charities that are dealing with this particular area and producing excellent educational, medical and spiritual facilities, so that we can minimise the level of mental health problems and maximise rehabilitation? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government to ensure new prison designs take account of mental health needs”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about affordable housing for those on low incomes

On 1st March 2016 Lord Kennedy of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government “what action they are taking to help people on the living wage in London to own their own homes.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

 

StAlbans171115The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, there is much concern that the focus on starter homes could threaten the provision of alternative housing schemes that are more suitable for those on low incomes, such as shared ownership. Will the Minister assure the House that Her Majesty’s Government’s emphasis on these starter homes will be in addition to other affordable schemes such as shared ownership rather than replacing them?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about affordable housing for those on low incomes”