St Albans – Page 40 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans asks about rates of malnutrition in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many deaths occurred in England and Wales in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022, where malnutrition was either the cause of death or was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con, Cabinet Office): The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the response attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Bishop of St Albans asks about regulations on apprenticeships

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all apprenticeships receive the mandated off-the-job training entitlement.

Baroness Barran (Con, Department for Education): The government has made significant reforms to the quality of apprenticeships to ensure they meet the needs of employers and bring wider benefits to the country and the economy. Apprenticeships have a minimum 12-month duration with more training (minimum 20% off-the-job) and are more rigorous and credible with employer led standards and independent end-point assessments.

Bishop of St Albans asks about uptake of renewables among British farmers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to upgrade three-phase power supply to support British farmers with the uptake of renewables.

Bishop of St Albans asks about recent reports on the El Niño weather pattern

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent reports by the World Meteorological Organization of the El Niño weather pattern.

Bishop of St Albans asks about provision of refrigerators and freezers to food banks

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Markham on 14 December 2022 (HL Deb col 653), what assessment they have made of the provision of freezers and fridges to increase food banks’ storage capacity.

Bishop of St Albans asks about affordable housing in rural communities

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the shortage of affordable housing in rural areas on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, one of the challenges facing rural areas is an acute shortage of affordable housing. Statistics from the National Housing Federation show that social housing waiting lists in rural areas have grown by 31%, compared with just 3% in urban areas. That is having a huge impact on rural sustainability as the average age in those areas increases, leading to the closure of schools, post offices and so on. What is being done specifically to unblock this logjam in providing more affordable housing in rural areas?

Bishop of St Albans asks about integration of care systems in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on integrated care systems in rural areas on 24th July 2023, during a discussion about best practice guidelines for care of strokes:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, these guidelines are very encouraging, and all who work on them should be congratulated. As we keep hearing, the essence is speed if we are to treat effectively, yet this is particularly difficult in rural areas, especially remote rural areas. What additional help is being given to integrated care boards’ care systems to ensure that our rural integrated care boards can deliver these guidelines, which are so vital?

Bishop of St Albans asks about delays in connecting renewable energy schemes to the national grid

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of delays in connecting solar farms and wind turbines to the national grid; and what steps they are taking to accelerate this process.

Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling and gambling related harms

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote research on the types and extent of financial harms experienced by people who gamble.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con, DCMS): While millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. His Majesty’s Government recognises the importance of continuing to collect data, evidence, and research into the types of harms experienced by problem gamblers.

Bishop of St Albans asks about support for farmers to engage with renewable energy schemes

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what support exists for farmers who are not claimants of the Basic Payment Scheme and who want to plant hedges and trees for the purpose of carbon sequestration.

Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): There are several options available for farmers who are not claimants of the Basic Payment Scheme. Under the Countryside Stewardship (CS) Scheme, we pay for the management of hedgerows by rotational cutting and leaving some hedgerows uncut (BE3) and capital grants to plant and restore hedgerows. This includes hedgerow laying, hedgerow cropping and hedgerow gapping up.

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