Month: December 2017

Week in Westminster, 18th-21st December 2017

Church Commissioners’ written answer – statistics on answers

spelman040717 bOn 21st December 2017 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP, answered a written question from Chris Ruane MP about written answers: Continue reading “Church Commissioners’ written answer – statistics on answers”

Bishop of Leeds asks Government about funding of anti-democratic Islamist forces in Syria

leeds-20117On 20th December 2017 Baroness Cox asked the Government “what is their assessment of the current situation in Syria”. The Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, asked a follow-up question:.

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, would the Minister agree that there is a danger here that support for, and funding of, anti-Assad forces, however understandable that may seem from the outside, might lead to exactly the same unintended consequences that we have seen in Iraq—namely, the strengthening of anti-democratic Islamist forces who have no intention of delivering the freedoms that we assume they should? Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks Government about funding of anti-democratic Islamist forces in Syria”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for homeless people

StAlbans161117On the 19th December the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith  asked a question he had tabled to Government on homelessness:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to address increasing homelessness and demand for temporary accommodation.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for homeless people”

Bishop of Winchester asks Government about support for energy customers wanting to switch providers

winchester171116On 19th December 2017 Lord Naseby asked Her Majesty’s Government “whether they plan to review their policy on capping domestic energy prices in the light of measures taken by the energy industry to change tariffs to help those most at risk, and to increase competition.” The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Revd Tim Dakin, asked a follow up question, highlighting the work of the Big Church Switch.

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, the Church of England has partnered with several organisations in an initiative called the Big Church Switch, which seeks to provide consumers with better prices from the UK’s cleanest energy suppliers to make switching simpler and to protect the environment. What steps are Her Majesty’s Government and Ofgem taking to learn from such initiatives as this to enable consumers to make informed choices, both financially and environmentally?

Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks Government about support for energy customers wanting to switch providers”

Second Church Estates Commissioner welcomes Bishop of Norwich led Paterson Inquiry

17.12.07 Carolinespelman2On 19th December the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP asked a question to Health ministers about the new Paterson Inquiry led by the Bishop of Norwich

Dame Caroline Spelman (Meriden) (Con): I would like to thank the Minister for listening very sensitively to the victims of Paterson, the rogue surgeon, many of whom are constituents of mine. Does he agree that the evidence from the Hillsborough inquiry is that a bishop-led inquiry can indeed get justice and closure for victims? Will he join me in wishing the Bishop of Norwich great success in getting a good outcome from this inquiry? Continue reading “Second Church Estates Commissioner welcomes Bishop of Norwich led Paterson Inquiry”

Bishop of Birmingham supports proposals to reduce size of House of Lords

On 19th December 2017 the House of Lords debated  its size, in the form of a Motion from  Lord Burns ‘That this House takes note of the Report of the Lord Speaker’s committee on the size of the House’. The Bishop of Birmingham and Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, Rt Revd David Urquhart, spoke in support of the Committee’s proposals and said that bishops would look at the question of their numbers when legislation on Lords reform, backed by consensus, was forthcoming:

The Lord Bishop of Birmingham: My Lords, as convener of the Lords spiritual, I welcome warmly the report of the Speaker’s Committee and pay tribute to the work of the noble Lord, Lord Burns, and his fellow committee members for their thoughtful and thorough attention to the question of the size of the House, which we all agree is in need of urgent resolution. I notice that the word “magic” has already been used in the debate, but the desire for love has also been added at Christmas time. To hear the leader of the Lib Dems imploring the work of the Lord in becoming pure is a most encouraging start to this debate.

The main recommendations of the committee are ones that I hope most of us in this House can rally behind. They offer a set of suggestions which, with good will and a spirit of co-operation, not least from the party leaderships, will provide us with a route map for reducing the membership of this House to a more acceptable level. That is something that my predecessors as convener and many others on these Benches have supported consistently. Rather than comment on the detail of the proposals, I thought that it would be helpful to focus my remarks on what the report did or did not say about the Lords spiritual. Continue reading “Bishop of Birmingham supports proposals to reduce size of House of Lords”

Bishop of St Albans raises case of Christian convert & missionary jailed in Iran

On 19th December 2017 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question about the imprisonment in Iran of Christian convert and missionary Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Iran relating to the case of Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh, an Iranian convert to Christianity who has had his 10-year prison sentence for missionary activities upheld after losing his appeal. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans raises case of Christian convert & missionary jailed in Iran”

Bishop of Leeds says conduct of Brexit is aiding Russian policy of destabilising the West.

leeds-20117-bOn the 18th December 2017 the Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, responded to a Government Statement on the recent European Council Meeting: He asked about the UK approach to Russian foreign policy and the progress made with the Brexit negotiations:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, the Leader seems disappointed that the Statement has not been welcomed as it might have been. I do welcome it but I do not think it is as it has been portrayed; that is, the progress that has been made thus far is simply the opening gambit and the real hard work is going to come in the next phase. It seems to me that so far not a great deal has been achieved, except that we can go on to talk about the next phase. I will make a quick observation and then put a question. Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds says conduct of Brexit is aiding Russian policy of destabilising the West.”

Bishop of Birmingham asks Government to increase support for the financially excluded

birmingham-211016cOn the 18 December 2017 Baroness Tyler of Enfield led a debate on the report of the Select Committee on Financial Exclusion –  Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone? (Session 2016-17, HL Paper 132). The Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Revd David Urquhart was a member of the Committee, and spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Birmingham: My Lords, as we resume the debate on Tackling Financial Exclusion: A Country that Works for Everyone?, there can be no more poignant reminder of the issues raised in the committee’s report and the seriousness with which we need to take its challenge. As the Bishop of Kensington said in the service [for Grenfell Tower survivors and community] just mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Bourne, we can be too wrapped up in our own interests and prosperity, but we might just now turn outwards towards each other—a society known for listening, compassion and love.

Continue reading “Bishop of Birmingham asks Government to increase support for the financially excluded”