St Albans – Page 17 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans asks about steps to prevent escalation of the conflict in Sudan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 6th November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take in their capacity as penholder at the meeting of the UN Security Council in November to ensure regional actors are taking steps to prevent the escalation of the conflict in Sudan. [HL2082]

Bishop of St Albans asks about effects of smartphones on young people’s mental health

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the mental health of young people and the potential effects of social media and smartphones, during a discussion on health-related benefits claims on 5th November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I pick up the Minister’s reference to mental health. Some estimates suggest that up to two-thirds of those claiming incapacity benefits are doing so on the basis of mental health-related issues. Can the Minister tell us whether a focus on young people, in particular their use of things such as smartphones and social media, is being both researched and fed into the Government’s early intervention strategy?

Bishop of St Albans asks about effects of new tax rules on farmers

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on farmers concerns regarding new inheritance tax regulations on 5th November 2024, following repeat of a Commons Urgent Question on the effects of the budget on farming communities:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, can the Minister help us a little? The Treasury figures state that fewer than 25% of farm businesses will be affected by the changes to APR on inheritance tax. However, the NFU estimates that up to half of all working farms could be impacted by the new tax rules. Why is there such a large discrepancy? Can she help us to understand what is going on?

Bishop of St Albans asks about access to fresh fruit and vegetables for those in lowest socioeconomic brackets

On 5th November 2024, the Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the British Medical Journal article Scurvy—a re-emerging disease with the rising cost of living and number of bariatric surgical procedures, published on 22 September, what steps they are taking to ensure those in lowest socioeconomic brackets have access to fresh fruit and vegetables.