The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made of the cost to the state of gambling-driven crime.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con): The Home Office does not hold the information which you have requested on the estimates for state costs arising from gambling- driven crime.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about costs of gambling-driven crime”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 5 December 2022 (HL3620), how much they have invested into research into an avian influenza vaccine.
Lord Benyon (Con): Defra funds research directly or by leveraging funding through UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), a BEIS-funded non-governmental public body of which the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is a research council partner. In the last five years, £4.3 million has been invested in research, funded through BBSRC, either solely focussed on avian influenza vaccines, or as part of wider projects for poultry disease control.
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of an increase in the number of pupils who are ineligible for free school meals being unable to afford lunch.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about lunch costs for pupils ineligible for free schools meals”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 23rd January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate marking the 75th Anniversary of the Empire Windrush ship to Britain, highlighting the contributions made by Caribbean immigrants and the ongoing need to challenge racism:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, for this important and timely debate. I thank other Members who have spoken so eloquently about the contribution of Caribbean people to this country.
In 1948, we invited Caribbean people to come to this country to help rebuild after the terrible devastation of the war. Some were welcomed; indeed, I have an auntie and uncle who, for 40 years, offered accommodation to people coming from the Caribbean. They did it joyfully and gladly and introduced them, wherever possible, into their Methodist church. However, at the same time there were many instances where they were not welcomed and, sadly, not even welcomed into some of our churches. They experienced appalling racism, which was simply shameful.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans speaks in debate to mark anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush in the UK”On 12th January 2022, the House of Lords debated a report from the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee: Democracy Denied? The urgent need to rebalance power between Parliament and the Executive. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in support of the report’s recommendations on legislation and regulatory powers:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, as has already been noted by other speakers in this debate, delegated legislation is indeed a necessary part of the process, but I echo the concerns about the increasing use of skeleton legislation, Henry VIII powers, disguised legislation and tertiary legislation. I support these two excellent reports that look at how we might limit the use of delegated legislation and address the culture that is now taking it for granted. Both committees highlighted very valid concern about the transfer of power from Parliament, with clear democratic oversight and public scrutiny, to instead ruling by Executive edict.
The past few years have been turbulent times, although probably if anybody looked back over any decade in the life of this nation they would see that there have always been turbulent things happening. Therefore, I guess it is easy to understand why the Executive may need to respond in unusual and challenging circumstances with delegated authority. However, it is absolutely crucial that this is done sparingly and in a transparent manner. The Government’s response to the pandemic is the classic example of this. Of course, there are times when a national emergency will demand that we fast-track legislation, or grant broad delegated powers, but those should be exceptional and rare cases. The Government must always recognise the importance and value of parliamentary scrutiny. What is concerning, as is brilliantly highlighted in these reports, is that the Government’s widening use of delegated legislation is not limited to emergencies but is now being used routinely.
Continue reading ““Democracy Denied” Report: Bishop of St Albans speaks in support of recommendations”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 11th January 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many customer suicides have been reported by gambling operators in each of the past five years.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con): The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the noble Lord’s Parliamentary Question of 21 December is attached.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling related suicides”The House of Lords debated the Financial Services and Markets Bill in its second reading on 10th January 2022. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in the debate concerning issues of access and regulation:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, theologians sometimes discuss the personal and social ethics in the teaching of Christ under the three headings of money, sex and power, those three areas which can be the most extraordinary gift and blessing when used rightly and for the common good but which, when they are an end in themselves, can become extraordinarily disruptive. Of these three areas, Christ had most to say about money, as its use reveals our values as individuals and as a society, often in a very stark way. A close reading of this Bill reveals a set of cultural assumptions and values about what is considered important and valuable. There are four areas that I want to highlight and which we need to consider if a growing and vibrant financial sector will work for the common good.
First, on crypto asset regulation, as others have said, we need to act fast both to protect our citizens and so that we do not fall behind the rest of the world. The problem at the moment is that the almost complete lack of regulation means that, for many people, crypto- currencies are just another form of gambling. The recent collapse of FTX has demonstrated the volatility of this market and its vulnerability to fraud. Some have made a fortune, while others have lost their life savings and will now be looking to the state to provide for them. Just as we need a sensible and balanced approach to the regulation of online gambling, so we need sensible, balanced regulation of crypto- currencies. The provision in this Bill to ensure that crypto is treated as a regulated activity and giving the FCA and the PSR the power and, as others have noted, the resources to do their work and to protect customers, is welcome.
Continue reading “Financial Services and Markets Bill: Bishop of St Albans speaks on cryptocurrency, access to cash, credit unions, and net zero”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 10th January 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the strategic importance of the BBC World Service during the Arab Spring protests.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The FCDO strongly values the BBC World Service’s role in bringing high quality and impartial broadcasting to global audiences, particularly where free speech is limited. The Integrated Review stated that the BBC’s foreign language services are part of what makes the UK a soft power superpower.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the BBC World Service in the Arab States”
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