I want to write to Baroness Benjamin
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, recent shocking evidence showed a 20% rise in babies being killed or harmed at home during the first lockdown. In normal times, 50% of children in need of support from local authorities come from homes with domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Bill promises additional support for victims and children in safe accommodation, but this will not help those who do not or cannot flee their...
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been given out from the Clean Growth Fund; and to which projects such money has been given.
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and I declare an interest as a member of the Peers for the Planet group.
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his Answer. We have to invent a way out of the critical climate change emergency that we are in. Thankfully, innovation is playing a major role in finding ways of reversing the unbelievable level of pollution that human activity produces. This is a global problem, though, and it is clear that international co-operation is vital if we are to solve it. Does...
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools have delayed the introduction of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education until summer 2021 due to complaints from parents and pressure groups; and what assessment they have made of the impact of complaints made following the publication of the Plan your relationships, sex...
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have provided to schools to assist with the provision of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education, in particular with the provision of lessons that include teaching on LGBT relationships.
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to schools who consulted parents about the provision of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education but have since experienced complaints from parents and pressure groups which have resulted in delays to the introduction of those subjects to the curriculum.
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support schools which have experienced complaints and pressure from parents about the provision of teaching about LGBT relationships on the curriculum; and what discussions they have had with such schools about ensuring the delivery of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education.
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support and assistance they have provided to schools which have received communications threatening legal action from parents and pressure groups that seek to prevent the teaching of any form of relationship and sex education, including on LGBT relationships.
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to reassure schools that they are not at risk of legal action for providing Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education on the curriculum.
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, Black History Month was established 33 years ago, and this year there has been a real desire to find out more about our diverse British history. The year 2020 seems like the beginning of the age of enlightenment, when the shackles were broken and eyes were opened. So how do the Government plan to further that interest? Will they consider broadening exam specification choices to...
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, thank goodness for that. Black, Asian and culturally diverse people are more likely to be unemployed, and the 16 to 24 year-olds in this group are no exception. They are finding themselves at the very bottom of the pile during this pandemic and are hardest hit, with little hope of finding a job. So what pathways and policies are being put in place beyond the six-month Kickstart...
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, the obligation of the hospitality ruling is causing many in the restaurant and hospitality industry a mountain of needless pain. The perception of the unexplained 10 pm curfew is that it is utterly arbitrary. Many voices have now been raised to challenge this in the hope that it will be reconsidered in a more logical and common-sense way. This restriction on already fragile...
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what weight is given to the effect of new or modified highway layouts on adjacent sites of ecological, cultural or scientific significance.
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and declare an interest as a vice-president of the RHS.
Baroness Benjamin: I thank the noble Baroness for her Answer. The Government have pledged to plant millions of trees to improve biodiversity, reduce flood risks and capture carbon. However, Highways England’s proposal for junction 10 of the M25 will do the exact opposite. Some 44 irreplaceable trees will be lost. There will be longer, more polluted and more convoluted traffic journeys and building disruption...
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, it has been widely acknowledged that Covid-19 has disproportionately affected the black, Asian and other diverse communities, with many dying—especially men. There is also a high risk of suicide among these groups. Sadly, I personally know of two people who have taken their lives because they could not cope with the uncertainty of the future. What measures, therefore, are the...
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed deep inequalities in our society. It has caused so much pain, death and suffering in areas across the country. This is evident in Leicester, where many families are from minority communities with low-level incomes and are reportedly working in unacceptable sweatshop conditions. Many are also living in cramped housing conditions, which is having...
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, the ability to communicate with others from different communities is vital, but those who are deaf are at a disadvantage because they cannot fully participate unless signing is provided, no matter what their culture. My experience as a past patron of Friends of the Young Deaf has taught me the importance of signing in breaking down language barriers. Do the Government plan to make...
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, it is widely acknowledged that black, Asian and ethnically diverse people have been hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. They have experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety throughout the crisis. They have had greater mortality and infection rates than other groups, as well as fears about catching Covid-19. They are also more worried about unemployment and access to food,...