Tag: St Albans

Bishop of St Albans asks about security of the UK fishing industry

On 1st November 2021, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on government efforts to reassure UK fishing industry following the seizure of a fishing vessel by the French authorities:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reassure the UK fishing industry following the seizure of a UK vessel by the French authorities.

Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): My Lords, I cannot comment on the specifics of this case, given that legal proceedings are under way. More broadly, however, we are disappointed at the French Government’s recent actions, culminating in threats that were issued on Wednesday. We have raised our concerns with the French Government and the Commission. The Government have been clear that, if these actions were to be taken, they would put the EU in breach of the TCA. Our approach to licensing has been reasonable and fully in line with the TCA.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about results of the United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked what assessment they have made of the Forces in Mind Trust report The United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study, published on 23 September.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about alleviating rural poverty

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on efforts to alleviate in-work poverty in rural areas on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the Rural Services Network Towards the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, published in June, what plans they have accurately to reflect in-work rural poverty in future funding allocation mechanisms.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about crimes of violence by police officers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to research by Femicide Census which found that 16 former or serving police officers had committed femicide since 2009, what assessment they have made as to whether male former or serving police officers commit violence against women, including femicide, at a higher rate compared to the general adult male population.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about arms sales to Myanmar

The Lord Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to encourage other governments to adopt the UN resolution of 19 June calling for nations to halt arms sales to Myanmar and the ruling military junta.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about links between discount fashion retailers and modern slavery

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on forced labour, modern slavery, and child labour in production of goods for the discount fashion industry on 21st October 2021, during a debate on labour conditions in garment and material production:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, can the Government update the House on any ongoing conversations that they are having with discount fashion retailers about sourcing of goods in relation to forced labour, modern slavery and child labour, which is causing such anxiety in our country?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for the work of the Gambling Commission

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 19th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited, published on 13 September, what steps they are taking, beyond additional funding, to ensure that the Gambling Commission is better able to monitor and intervene in the case of novel gambling products.

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Bishop of St Albans tables question for debate on gambling related harms

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question for short debate on the topic of the recently published Gambling Related Harms Evidence Review on 14th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Public Health England Gambling-related harms evidence review, published on 30 September.

My Lords, I declare my interests as a vice-chair of Peers for Gambling Reform. I thank Public Health England and all those who worked on this review, which sheds light on the health impacts of gambling-related harms and quantifies the direct cost of gambling harms to the Government. The review concluded that 0.5% of our population were considered problem gamblers and 7% of the population of the UK are negatively affected by gambling. This is over 4 million people in England and over 5 million people across the UK as a whole, which is one in 12 people either directly or indirectly affected by gambling-related harms. This is a significant social problem.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about building safety costs affecting leaseholders

On 16th September 2021, during a debate on building safety regulations, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the “polluter pays” principle of building safety, which would ensure that leaseholders would not be financially burdened by building safety requirements:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, many people do not seem to realise that this is having a devastating effect on people of every social class. I was 10 minutes late coming in because I was hearing about a lawyer living in St Albans, where I live, who now faces bankruptcy and may no longer be able to practise if she is made bankrupt. If you buy a defective car it gets recalled and has to be sorted out. What attention and consideration are Her Majesty’s Government giving to the polluter pays principle, which we need to build into this issue if we are to address this devastating problem unfolding before our very eyes?

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Bishop of Blackburn tables question on gambling in the military on behalf of the Bishop of St Albans

On 13th September 2021, the Bishop of Blackburn tabled a question on gambling disorders in the military on behalf of the Bishop of St Albans:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to legislate (1) to require annual medical screening questions related to gambling disorder in the military, and (2) to annually assess the prevalence of gambling disorder among members of the armed forces.

The Lord Bishop of Blackburn: My Lords, with the leave of the House, I ask the Question standing on the Order Paper in the name of my colleague the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans.

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