St Albans – Page 80 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans calls for greater recognition of the importance of rural economies and agriculture to food security

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on a recent Food, Poverty, Health and the Environment Committee report on 10th June 2021, highlighting the intersection between food security, health outcomes, and overall inequality, and the importance of agriculture and rural economies in levelling-up food production :

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I warmly welcome the former Archbishop of York, the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Sentamu, on behalf of these Benches and the whole House. It is a great privilege to follow him in today’s debate, on his return to the House, and I am sure that his wisdom, compassion, and insight, will be valuable as we move forward in this new parliamentary session.

Hungry for Change outlines the challenges in health and production underlying our food system. Like others, I pay tribute to Marcus Rashford for his campaign last summer in extending the national voucher scheme. I also wish him and the entire English football team good fortune for their opening Euro 2021 match against Croatia this Sunday.

Food poverty remains a serious issue here in the UK, one which has been exacerbated by the economic hardships endured by low-income individuals during the Covid crisis. The Department for Work and Pensions HBAI statistics for 2020 identify 5 million people, including 1.7 million children, as experiencing food insecurity, and half of them had very low food security.

Bishop of St Albans asks about religious freedom in Eritrea

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 10th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of religious freedom in Eritrea; and what representations have they made to the government of Eritrea about the ongoing house arrest of Abune Antonios.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, including the arrests of religious figures such as Patriarch Abune Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewadho Church who has been detained for over 15 years. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief raised Patriarch Abune Antonios’ case with the Eritrean Ambassador on 20 May, and our Ambassador in Asmara tweeted to call for the Patriarch and others detained for their faith to be released.

Bishop of St Albans tables question on removal of unilateral digital services taxes

On 8th June 2021, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on whether tech companies would pay more tax in the UK under the proposed removal of unilateral digital services taxes:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the announcement of the G7 global tax agreement on 5 June, whether tech companies will pay more tax in the United Kingdom after the proposed removal of unilateral digital services taxes.

Bishop of St Albans asks about religious freedom in Ethiopia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 7th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of Ethiopian Orthodox priests being murdered in Tigray; and what assessment they have made of religious freedom in Ethiopia.

Bishop of St Albans asks about links between COVID-19 lockdowns and higher rates of gambling

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 7th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the study by Alan M Emond et al Gambling by young adults in the UK during COVID-19 lockdown, published on 18 April, what assessment they have made of the reported correlation between higher rates of gambling and COVID-19 lockdowns.

Bishop of St Albans asks questions about rights and treatment of Armenians in Azerbaijan

25th May 2021.

Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report that the Azerbaijani military blocked Russian peacekeepers accompanying Armenian pilgrims to the Dadivank Monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh, what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Azerbaijan, and (2) Russia, to ensure the continued rights of Armenians to practise their religion in sites located in the territory ceded to Azerbaijan. [HL91]

Bishop of St Albans asks about gambling harm and affordability checks

25th May 2021

Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the six recommendations in the report by the Centre for Social Justice Not a Game – A call for effective protection from the harms of gambling’, published in May, in creating a co-operative framework for effective affordability checks. [HL373]

Bishop of Blackburn asks Government about fire safety costs for leaseholders

On 24th May 2021 the Bishop of Blackburn asked a question on behalf of the Bishop of St Albans, on fire safety costs for leaseholders.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the (1) current, and (2) future, incidence of leaseholder bankruptcies attributable to remedial fire safety works and interim fire safety costs.

The Lord Bishop of Blackburn: My Lords, on behalf of my right reverend colleague, I ask the Question standing in his name on the Order Paper.

Bishop of St Albans asks about access to debt advice

Debts: Advisory Services – written question Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans. Answer received 20th May 2021.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the findings in the Christian’s Against Poverty’s Our Story, Client Report 2021, published in April, that 45 per cent of clients did not initially know where to access help to manage their debts, what plans they have to better (1) signpost, and (2) raise awareness of, debt advice services as part of the recovery from COVID-19. [HL93]

Queen’s Speech – Bishop of St Albans on planning, building safety and accessibility

On 17th May 2021 the Bishop of St Albans spoke in the third day of debates on the Queen’s Speech in the House of Lords, focusing on the continuing issues of leaseholders facing costs for replacing dangerous cladding, and the new planning Bill.

“My Lords, I too look forward to hearing the maiden speeches of the noble Lords, Lord Coaker and Lord Morse, but I want to start by congratulating the Minister on introducing the leasehold reform Bill.

“Ending ground rents—or, as one person called it recently, the serfdom charge—in new developments is an important and positive reform, and I will welcome this opportunity to be mostly congruent with the Minister, after been being on opposing sides of the Fire Safety Bill. While this is a great victory for future leaseholders, existing leaseholders, particularly those in developments affected by the building and fire safety scandal, nervously await their fate.

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