Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on British Nationals Overseas

On 25th January 2021, the Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the potential impact of the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic on the processing of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa applications; and what steps they are taking to address any such impact.

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Bishop of St Albans chairs debate on tax justice

On 21st January 2021, the Bishop of St Albans chaired a debate on a reports by Church Action for Tax Justice:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reports by Church Action for Tax Justice (1) Tax for the Common Good, published in February 2019, and (2) Fair Tax Now, published on 4 January 2021.

My Lords, I thank all those speaking in this evening’s debate. I am no expert on tax, but it does not take an expert to see that there are some deeply entrenched tax inequalities. This 2019 report by Church Action for Tax Justice, and its 2021 report, Fair Tax Now, are more relevant than ever, not least with the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic being felt in all parts of society, and with Her Majesty’s Government’s commitment to “levelling up”.

The proposals laid out by Church Action for Tax Justice seek not to harm wealth generation, but to level the playing field and facilitate a fairer tax system that ensures that those with the deepest pockets do their duty to the societies that provided the context in which they were able to amass their wealth. This is a vast topic, so I will make a couple of preliminary comments and then suggest four of the most important areas that must be addressed.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about costs of treating gambling addiction for the NHS

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the cost of gambling addiction to the NHS in each of the last five years; and (2) the likely cost in each of the next five years.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about new domestic violence scheme in the courts

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st Janaury 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made towards introducing Integrated Domestic Abuse Court pilot schemes.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about theft of religious artefacts from churches in Tigray

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 2oth January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Eritrean soldiers are stealing religious artefacts from churches in Tigray.

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Mental health, Armenia, gambling, Ethiopia

On 18th January 2021 in the House of Lords the Bishop of Bristol asked a question about mental health, the Bishop of Coventry asked about Armenian heritage.

Meanwhile the Bishop of St Albans and the Archbishop of York received written answers to questions on gambling-related harm and Ethiopia.

Full text below.

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Vaccines for developing world, poverty in the pandemic, devolution and Ethiopia  

In the House of Lords on 14th January 2021 the Bishop of St Albans received written answers to questions on vaccines for developing countries and the situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia while the Bishop of Durham received answers to questions on the recent updated report by the Child Poverty Action Group and the Church of England on Poverty in the pandemic.
Meanwhile in the Chamber, the Bishop of Birmingham raised the issue of devolution in England with the Government during Lord Young’s Oral question about the formation of a Constitution, Democracy and Human Rights Commission. Text below:

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‘Spycops’ and gambling related harm

In the House of Lords on 13th January 2021 the Bishop of Durham spoke during the debate on the Covert Human Intelligence Bill and the Bishop of St Albans received a written answer to a question on support for those living with gambling-related harm. Details below:

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Bishop of St Albans asks about problem gambling

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on the costs of problem gambling to the taxpayer on 7th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost to taxpayers of problem gambling.

Baroness Barran (Con, DCMS): My Lords, Public Health England has undertaken a review of evidence on the public health harms relating to gambling and their social and economic burden. Publication has been delayed by Covid but is expected in the first part of this year. We have also launched our review of the Gambling Act. We are calling for evidence on how best to reduce harms and how we will recoup the cost to society.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impacts of gambling

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government  further to the statement in Government Response to the House of Lords Gambling Industry Committee Report: Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry, published on 8 December:

  • that gambling advertising did not correlate to gambling participation among 11 to 24 year olds, what plans they have to undertake a review of the effects of gambling advertising on children as part of the Gambling Act Review.
  •  how many gambling operators have been sanctioned due to breaches of rules committed by contracted affiliates.
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