St Albans – Page 68 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans asks about emergency services

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question regarding ministers of religion attending scenes of serious injury alongside emergency services on 26th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, this is a delicate area, especially when we are dealing with crime scenes or potential crime scenes. Nevertheless, do Her Majesty’s Government have any plans to ensure how this information will be rolled out in training people who are going to be in charge of these scenes? Is there going to be any monitoring to ensure that this is available? The sacrament of the last rites is a fundamental religious principle for many people. Can we have some assurance that this is going to be monitored?

Bishop of St Albans asks about agricultural workers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the shortfall of workers in the agricultural sector.

Lord Benyon (Con): Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce.

Bishop of St Albans asks about waste heat

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve the capture of waste heat from British industry to alleviate rising energy costs.

Bishop of St Albans asks about wheat in Ukraine

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support the Ukrainian agricultural sector to export wheat.

Bishop of St Albans asks about housing insulation

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what (1) grants, and (2) subsidies, they are planning to introduce, if any, to improve the insulation of homes.

Bishop of St Albans asks about China and Hong Kong

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 25th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of extradition treaties between EU Member States and the People’s Republic of China on freedom of movement for UK citizens in Europe; and what discussions they have had with European counterparts on this matter.

Votes: Nationality and Borders Bill

On 4th April 2022, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Nationality and Borders Bill. There were votes on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part.

Building Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans speaks in debate

On 4th April 2022, the House of Lords debated the Building Safety Bill in its third reading. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in support of changes to the Bill:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I do not want to delay the House for too long, but I also add my word of thanks to the Minister. I share the concerns of other noble Lords: I hope that this is going to be given enough time for proper scrutiny and debate in the other place and that the really key amendments will not be overturned.

Many positive changes have been made, particularly reducing the cost for non-cladding remedial work to zero and the extension of this support to all buildings, not just those over 11 metres. But I remain concerned by the definition of a qualifying lease and its failure to protect those receiving a state pension who rely on rental income from a lease to sustain themselves. I am not entirely certain how these pensioners who do not qualify will pay for non-cladding remedial costs, but that is a hurdle that the Government may face in the near future.

Bishop of St Albans asks about investigating allegations of war crimes in Ukraine

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 4th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to work with international partners to investigate allegations of war crimes following the massacre in Bucha, Ukraine, by Russian Armed Forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): My Lords, we were all horrified, as we are now, by seeing evidence of appalling acts by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Bucha. Russia’s alleged indiscriminate attacks against civilians during this illegal invasion must be investigated as war crimes. We will fully support any investigations by the International Criminal Court, and we will not rest until those responsible for these atrocities have faced justice. The international community must continue to provide Ukraine with humanitarian and military support while stepping up sanctions to cut off funding for Mr Putin’s war machine.

Judicial Review and Courts Bill: Bishop of St Albans tables amendment

On 31st March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Judicial Review and Courts Bill. The Bishop of St Albans spoke on his amendment to the bill:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I rise to speak briefly to Amendment 28 standing in my name. I would be grateful if the House would indulge me just for a few minutes. As I explained last week when I was presenting my Private Member’s Bill, Public Health England pointed out that, in just one year, there were 409 suicides related to problem gambling. Your Lordships will be aware that the largest lobby group here in the House is Peers for Gambling Reform. Whenever we have tried to deal with this, one thing we keep hearing back is that we simply do not have the statistics or the data on the various causes of suicide. For some while, I have been trying in every way I can to get at least some data to help us with this so that we can devise strategies to reduce the terrible burden on families who have lost a young person.

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