vaccination – Page 3 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Winchester asks about cuts to overseas aid

The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on the impact of cuts to the overseas aid budget on COVID-19 vaccine distribution on 16th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, is the Minister aware that, if the cuts to the overseas aid budget lead to cuts to the Voluntary Service Overseas programme, they will negatively impact the international distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, given the involvement of VSO in Covid-19 response programmes in different parts of the world, such as Covid safety training for healthcare workers and rural populations in Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, et cetera?

Bishop of Winchester asks about provision of coronavirus vaccines in developing countries

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 10th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist developing countries to develop a working cold-chain storage system for storing COVID-19 vaccines at the required temperatures.

Bishop of Winchester asks about access to COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 9th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the COVAX Facility’s ability to provide (1) timely, (2) equitable, and (3) universal, access to COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries; and what plans they have to work with other countries to coordinate the relaxation of intellectual property protections for COVID-19 pharmaceutical technology to allow for such access.

Bishop of St Albans asks about vaccination uptake in minority communities

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on engagement with Gypsy, Traveller, and Roma communities to raise awareness of vaccination for COVID-19 on 2nd March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: What are Her Majesty’s Government doing to engage with the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities, who are often left out of these discussions, to raise awareness of the positive vaccination process that is available?

Bishop of St Albans asks about initiatives to donate to vaccine funds

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on efforts to encourage initiatives for donation to the COVAX vaccination fund on 22nd February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, approaches are developing that enable individuals to give into the COVAX fund in gratitude for having received their vaccination against Covid-19. How are Her Majesty’s Government encouraging the development of such initiatives? Will they support such approaches through match funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office?

Bishop of St Albans asks about role of faith networks in vaccine rollout

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the efficacy of faith networks to communicate vaccine availability on 11th February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: I too add my congratulations to Her Majesty’s Government on an extraordinarily rollout of the vaccines. I pay tribute to all those involved, not least one group not often mentioned —the practice managers, who often work through the night. Can the Minister comment on the community champions scheme? Faith leaders across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, where I live, have been waiting to use our huge, extensive network of people on the ground to communicate with hard-to-reach groups, such as ethnic minorities and so on. Only now are we being brought into that opportunity. Will the Government commit to working with us, since we are keen to use all our resources to help get those messages out to those hard-to-reach groups?

Bishop of St Albans asks about use of surplus COVID-19 vaccines

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 9th February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government how many COVID-19 vaccination doses they have ordered in total; whether they intend to order more doses than the number required to vaccinate the population of the UK; and if so, what plans they have to ensure that any surplus doses are used effectively.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about prioritization of vaccines in schools and prisons

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the need to prioritise vaccination in prisoners and schools on 25th January 2021, following a government statement on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: I wish to make two points and I draw attention to my interests as listed in the register. First, I am very concerned about prisons. There are reports that about 71 prisoners have died, and the number of prison staff who have tested positive continues to rise alarmingly. There is great flux within a prison, with staff coming and going, and those being released from prison and those coming into prison. Will the Government consider prioritising the vaccinating of prisoners and those who work in prisons? Secondly, I add my voice to those calling for teachers and early years staff to be prioritised. Schools are open and our dedicated teachers and early years staff must be able to continue their work safely and not be off sick, if we are to do the right thing by our children.

Archbishop of Canterbury asks about challenges facing global vaccine distribution

The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke during a discussion on global access to COVID-19 vaccinations on 21st January 2021, asking how the government planned to tackle issues facing vaccine distribution:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, we must welcome warmly the exceptional moral leadership in this remarkable donation to the COVAX programme, which I think is the largest of any country. However, in order to make the money work, and to follow up what the British ambassador, Julian Braithwaite, said at the WHO, we need a global vaccination campaign if we are to overcome this global pandemic. There are three particular obstructions to overcome. One relates to the use of surplus supplies of vaccine; for example, Canada has ordered more than five times what it needs for its population. The second is misinformation, mythical dangers or false stories being deliberately spread about the vaccines. Thirdly, in many parts of the countries that will need the vaccine, there are immense logistical difficulties in distributing it. To make the most of the financial leadership we have set and given our expertise, experience and success in the rollout in this country, what will the Government do to validate that gift by overcoming these three challenges?

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:

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

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