parliamentaryunit

Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill: Bishop of St Albans raises ethical concerns over data access and developing technologies

On 20th November 2023, the Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill [HL] at the bill’s second reading, raising concerns regarding the expanded powers the bill would give to the intelligence services to access personal data, and the ethical considerations of developing technology:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, for his very helpful and excellent work in his area. With the rapid acceleration of technology and technological capacity, I recognise the need for this Bill to be updated. In this context, I welcome the Government’s sense of urgency in addressing the changing landscape in this area, and seeking to close those gaps that potentially endanger both the security and the safety of our nation. My right reverend friend the Bishop of Leeds had hoped to be here today, as he has taken a particular interest in this area, but he is detained elsewhere. We would both like to express two concerns that we believe must be addressed as this Bill is debated in your Lordships’ House.

Bishop of St Albans asks about long-term immigration and asylum plans

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the government’s long term asylum and immigration strategy on 20th November 2023, following a government statement regarding the Supreme Court Judgement on the proposed Rwanda Immigration Partnership:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, we on these Benches are quite clear that we cannot have open borders, that we must stop people risking their lives, and that we need to stop the people smugglers. But we are also clear that we cannot export our moral responsibilities towards those seeking sanctuary on to the shores of another country, be it Rwanda or anywhere else. This is such a long-term, complex, worldwide problem that we need a long-term strategy for tackling this refugee crisis, in concert with our global partners, so while the Government are proposing some immediate new laws, what are they doing to address the scale of the problem, to provide long-term certainty? Will the Minister commit to developing and publishing a long-term strategy so that we can all try to engage with this in a much more measured way?

Bishop of St Albans asks about numbers of doctors coming to the UK from overseas

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the number of doctors coming to work in the UK from other countries in the last year on 20th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, how many doctors, including GPs, have come from outside the UK in the last year for which we have records? What long-term plan is there to stop us relying on having to bring in doctors from countries that need them far more than we do because they are much poorer than here in the UK?

Bishop of Bristol asks about entries on the Historic England “Heritage at Risk” register

The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on 20th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Historic England register Heritage at Risk, published on 9 November, what steps they are taking to support, repair and maintain new entries on that register.

Bishop of Durham asks about implementation of Family Hubs

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 20th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what support they are offering to local authorities to help them partner with (1) voluntary, and (2) faith, organisations in the implementation of Family Hubs.

Baroness Barran (Con, DfE): The department recognises the importance of both voluntary organisations and faith group partners to the family hub model. Both have a vital role in supporting families to improve the reach and impact of the family hub offer, particularly for those seldom heard parents and families. The department has set the expectation in its family hubs guidance that local authorities partner with voluntary and faith organisations as part of their family hub model. Family hubs bring together resources, expertise, and assets to provide an integrated offer to support families and respond to the needs of the community. The family hubs guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-programme-local-authority-guide(opens in a new tab).

Church Commissioners Questions: Engagement with Young People, Cathedrals, Same Sex Relationships, Persecuted Christians, Antisocial Behaviour, and Parish Ministry

On 16th November 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:

Engagement with Children and Young People

Bob Blackman MP (Con, Harrow East) asked: What recent progress the Church of England has made on increasing engagement with children and young people.

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Closed Churches

On 16th November 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Priti Patel MP (Con, Witham): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church Commissioners will review the decision to demolish the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Birch, Essex.

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Chelmsford speaks on conflict in the middle east

On 15th November 2023, the Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in the Kings Speech debate on the topic of conflict in the middle east, particularly with regards to the current humanitarian situation in Gaza:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, whatever the Government’s foreign policy priorities for this Session of Parliament, we know that they can quickly be upended by unexpected global events. The world is being reshaped by ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza. The terrorist actions of Hamas on 7 October must be condemned, as we have heard several times today, and Israel’s right to self-defence must be affirmed. We must also continue to affirm that this right needs to be exercised in adherence with the principles of international humanitarian law. The violation of international humanitarian law by both sides is shocking and will, I fear, have repercussions beyond the confines of this war, as will the killing of more than 100 UN aid workers, the highest number in the UN’s history.

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Southwark speaks on global conflict and foreign affairs

The Bishop of Southwark spoke in the Kings Speech debate on the topic of global conflict on 15th November 2023, calling for better resources for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the gracious Speech set out a number of the key challenges impinging on our security and His Majesty’s Government’s intentions in addressing them. I shall focus to some degree on the fragility of the international order at present.

I suspect that many of us have an underlying anxiety about the future in terms of the potential for conflict and our ability to either forestall or manage it should it arise. However, in the perspective of much of the world we already live in an era of endemic warfare. By one count, there are 110 international or internal armed conflicts under way as I speak. Only North America is free of any armed clash, and even there the United States is facing historic challenges to its democratic norms.

Bishop of St Albans asks about SEND provision in schools

During a debate on capacity for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in schools on 15th November 2023, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the use of SEND provision and the need for statutory assessment of pupils needs before a transfer to alternative provision:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the Education Committee report of September 2023 recommends that the department scrutinise the use of alternative provision settings and ensure that children and young people with SEND are transferred there only after having a statutory assessment, and not use them as a behavioural management tool. What steps has the department taken towards addressing this issue?

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