Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Support for Vulnerable People

Thursday 21 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Church of England has assessed the effectiveness of partnerships between local authorities and faith groups in supporting vulnerable people during the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Lichfield, Rochester, Blackburn, and Salisbury cathedrals are among the church buildings being used as vaccination centers.
  • The Church of England commends the "Keeping the Faith" report and looks forward to Colin Bloom's report on faith community engagement.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Timms Lab East Ham
Community Security Religion & Faith
Context

The Church of England's “Keeping the Faith” report highlighted the extent to which local councils have partnered with churches and other faith groups for support in distributing food and addressing community needs during the pandemic.

Question

What assessment has the Church of England made of the effectiveness of partnerships between local authorities and faith groups in providing support to vulnerable people during the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from Andrew Selous

I am delighted that Lichfield, Rochester, Blackburn and Salisbury cathedrals are among the church buildings being used as vaccination centres. As well as providing worship, prayer and community support, parishes have been providing food, medicine delivery, bereavement counselling and much more, serving the needs of everyone in their local communities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific assessment requested by the question was not provided. Instead, a general description of church activities during the pandemic was given.

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Q2 Stephen Timms Lab East Ham
Local Government Religion & Faith
Context

The “Keeping the Faith” report highlighted positive experiences for councils in partnering with churches during the pandemic, especially for distributing food.

Question

The “Keeping the Faith” report in November showed the remarkable extent to which local councils have turned to churches and other faith groups during the pandemic, especially for help in distributing food, and how positive an experience for councils this has proved to be. Will the Church of England urge Ministers to help these new partnerships with local councils continue beyond the pandemic?

Answer from Andrew Selous

Yes indeed, and I warmly commend the all-party group on faith and society for its research, as well as the Kruger review. I look forward to Colin Bloom's report, commissioned by the Government, which assesses faith community engagement. I hope it will build on my right hon. Friend's important and very welcome all-party group research.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for encouragement from the Church of England to Ministers was not directly addressed.

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