On 14th July 2021, the House of Lords voted on the Business and Planning Act 2020 (Pavement Licences) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. A Bishop took part in the vote:
On 13th July 2021, the House of Lords debated a report from the Procedures and Privileges Committee regarding proposed changes to procedures in the House. Votes were held on a motion to approve the changes, and amendments to the main motion, in which Bishops took part:
The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on access to healthy food for children in low income households on 13th July 2021, following a question on support for people receiving universal credit:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am saddened to hear about the phasing out of the £20 uplift in universal credit. Her Majesty’s Government have made a very positive step towards tackling childhood obesity with plans to ban junk food adverts before 9 pm but there is a clear link between poverty and obesity, particularly where financial constraints make cheap, high-calorie food more affordable than healthy alternatives. How then do the Government aim to improve access to healthy food for those on universal credit?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about access to healthy food for children in low income households”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 13th July 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the black market for counterfeit marriage certificates following the changes to marriage certification.
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): Marriage certificates are secure stock which contain a number of security features that help to prevent and detect counterfeits. Controls are in place to identify and investigate any unusual activity.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about fraudulent marriage certificates”The Bishop of St Albans took part in a debate on new commonwealth trade agreements on 8th July 2021, welcoming the agreements and urging they be used as a force for positive social consequences:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I welcome Her Majesty’s Government’s intent to strengthen ties with the Commonwealth as we transition to our new reality outside the European Union. When we entered the European Common Market, we severed many tight economic ties with some of our Commonwealth partners. It is because of that that I am particularly pleased at the announcement of the economic partnership agreement with CARIFORUM, which covers many countries with whom we continue to share a head of state.
My diocese is linked with the Windward Islands, and we are glad to have a large community of Vincentians living in Luton. They have told me of the extraordinary economic disruption that occurred to them when we joined the EEC. Although many of these Commonwealth realm territories contained within the CARIFORUM agreement are small in GDP terms, there is a symbolic importance to this agreement, and I hope it will be a platform to further invest and engage culturally with these territories to strengthen our existing ties.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans welcomes commonwealth trade agreements”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th July 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to (1) review, and (2) update, what constitutes a designated ‘rural area’ within the terms of section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 with a view to including more smaller rural communities.
Lord Greenhalgh (Con): The areas set out under section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 are National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and areas designated as rural for the purposes of Right to Buy by the Secretary of State.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about rural housing”The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate in response to cuts to overseas aid on 1st July 2021, criticising the decision to reduce aid at a time when many countries are experiencing negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and calling for the cuts to be reversed:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, these cuts raise profound ethical questions as the world faces the worst pandemic in over a century. Despite all the talk of global Britain, these cuts shout out that we are withdrawing from the world stage. Here we are, planning booster vaccinations in the UK this autumn, while only 0.9% of people in low-income countries have received even one dose. Covid is a global problem, and it is made worse when essentials such as clean water and basic health programmes, often provided by British aid, are cut.
Yesterday, I met the ambassador of Ethiopia, who spoke with grave concern about the cut in aid to Ethiopia, which is likely to be by more than 50%. Currently, less than 2% of its population is vaccinated, and it faces a third wave while simultaneously managing the fallout from the conflict in Tigray and famine due partly to war and partly to the swarms of locusts.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans criticises cuts in global aid amid COVID-19 pandemic”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th June 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): The Home Office remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme can apply, including those who are vulnerable or need extra support. £22 million of funding has been awarded to a network of 72 charities and local authorities across the UK, to ensure important information and assistance gets through to those who are hardest to reach, and no one is left behind. These organisations have helped more than 310,000 vulnerable people to apply to the EUSS already.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about support for those applying for the EU Settlement Scheme”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the positive economic effects of instituting reform of the gambling industry on 29th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report produced by NERA Economic Consulting for the Peers for Gambling Reform group Economic Assessment of Selected House of Lords Gambling Reforms, published on 26 May, what assessment they have made of the positive economic effects of implementing the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry (HL Paper 79, Session 2019–21).
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling reform”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 28th June 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government:
The Church of England in Parliament 
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