On 21st October 2025, the House of Lords debated the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which bishops took part:
Division 1:
The Bishop of Leicester and the Bishop of Manchester took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Baroness Finn designed to “would ensure greater ministerial and parliamentary oversight when the powers provided for in this Bill are exercised by authorised officers on behalf of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.”
The amendment was agreed. Content: 270 / Not Content: 160
The Bishop of Leicester and the Bishop of Manchester voted Not Content.
Division 2:
The Bishop of Leicester took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Lord Vaux of Harrowden which would “seek to clarify explicitly that the existence of an Eligibility Indicator alone does not constitute reasonable grounds for suspicion, and that before taking action to amend a benefit or undertake intrusive investigations, the information must have been reviewed by a suitable person.”
The amendment was agreed. Content: 262 / Not Content: 157
The Bishop of Leicester voted Not Content.
Division 3:
The Bishop of Leicester took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Lord Vaux of Harrowden which would seek to “ to expand the scope of the independent review of the use of the eligibility verification powers to ensure that the costs are proportionate and any unintended adverse consequences are identified.”
The amendment was agreed. Content: 253 / Not Content: 153
The Bishop of Leicester voted Not Content.
Division 4:
The Bishop of Leicester took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Lord Vaux of Harrowden which would “would prohibit DWP authorised officers from using force against people during the exercise of their entry, search and seizure powers, reflecting the policy intention in the Explanatory notes to the Bill. It preserves their power to use force against things – such as locked filing cabinets – and preserves police use of force, if necessary, under a DWP warrant.”
The amendment was agreed. Content: 212 / Not Content: 144
The Bishop of Leicester voted Content.
Division 5:
The Bishop of Leicester took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Viscount Younger of Leckie which “would compel the Secretary of State to provide information to the independent person for the purposes of a review.”
The amendment was a draw – government defeat. Content: 138 / Not Content: 138
The Bishop of Leicester voted Not Content.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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