Author: parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Newcastle makes valedictory speech on economic planning and issues arising from the government’s budget

On 3rd November 2021, the Bishop of Newcastle gave her valedictory speech in the House of Lords, raising issues of economic planning and the impact of the government’s budget on poorer communities, and paying tribute to the North-East of England:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, these past six years during which I have served as Bishop of Newcastle and as a Member of your Lordships’ House have, in a good way, been the most extraordinary years of my life. After a lifetime of living in the south, these six years in the north-east have helped me to see things from a different and much richer perspective.

The usual way to assess a Budget, the one we see in the newspapers, is to identify the winners and losers. I want strongly to resist this approach. When, aeons ago, I studied for my degree in economics, I learned that the way we spend our money shows what we value, what really matters to us. The question that matters is not what will I or we get out of this, but what kind of values does this Budget embrace—what is the moral framework undergirding it?

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Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of St Albans moves amendments on poaching and illegal hare coursing

On 3rd November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans moved two amendments to the bill which would broaden the powers of the police and courts to pursue those engaged in illegal hare coursing and poaching of game:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. In moving Amendment 124, I will speak also to Amendment 128 in my name. These amendments seek to strengthen police powers to deal with illegal hare coursing and, more generally, the illegal poaching of game.

Amendment 124 would amend the Game Laws (Amendment) Act 1960 to broaden the police’s powers to remove or arrest an individual trespassing on land where there is clear intent to trespass in pursuit of game, as defined by Section 9 of the Night Poaching Act 1828 and Section 30 of the Game Act 1831. It would also allow the police to seize any vehicles or animals used for the killing or taking of game found in the possession of the trespasser, and would allow the court to order

“the offender to reimburse any expenses incurred by the police in connection with the keeping of any animal seized”.

Further, the amendment seeks to broaden the court’s ability to limit repeated violations by issuing disqualification orders for those individuals convicted under the Night Poaching Act or Game Act for having custody of a dog or dogs.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about early years workforce retention

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on government efforts to help early years and childcare settings attract and retain key workers, during a debate on teachers departing education on 3rd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, in the discussion around this question there may be an assumption that we are focusing on key stages 1 and 2 and secondary schools, but, given that the most significant years of a child’s development are the early years, will the Minister say what is being done to ensure that nurseries and preschools attract, develop and retain vital key workers?

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Armed Forces Bill: Bishop of St Albans tables amendment to mandate research into problem gambling and gambling related harm in the military

On 2nd November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Armed Forces Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans tabled an amendment to the bill which would require that the Ministry of Defence conduct research into gambling related harm in the military, and stood as part of a group of amendments focused on mental health and wellbeing in the armed forces:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-chair of Peers for Gambling Reform. I rise to speak to Amendment 60 in my name. I tabled it because I am concerned that the Ministry of Defence is not taking gambling-related harm in the military community sufficiently seriously. On two occasions in response to my concerns in this area, the Ministry of Defence has stated that it has seen no evidence, or does not hold information, suggesting that serving personnel are more prone to problem gambling than any other group in society.

At the same time, it was disappointing to hear that evidence from the United States that suggested that serving personnel were more prone to problem gambling did not constitute an evidence base for the UK Armed Forces. This leaves us with a clear impasse, where the Government refuse to accept research from abroad but, at the same time, do not commit to researching whether there is a problem.

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Bishop of London asks about increased funding for public health nursing

The Bishop of London asked a question on whether the government would increase funding for public health nurses in communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, during my time as the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England I witnessed the unique value of public health nurses in the community. The pandemic has further highlighted the importance of such roles and the significance of a whole-system approach. Given this, will Her Majesty’s Government consider increasing funding specifically to build up or rebuild the capacity of public health nurses to tackle localised health inequalities?

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Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendments on bail for primary carers of children

On 1st November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in the debate, in support of her amendment 110 and other amendments which would require courts to consider the impact of not granting bail on a child when the recipient of a bail decision is a primary carer to that child:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am pleased to move this amendment, which has the support of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, and the noble Baroness, Lady Massey. I am grateful for the knowledge and wisdom they will bring to the debate. I declare an interest as Anglican Bishop for Her Majesty’s Prisons in England and Wales and president of the Nelson Trust.

The sentencing of a primary carer can have a serious detrimental impact on the rights of a child and their life chances, yet the fact that they are a primary carer is not consistently considered by the court making the sentencing decision. Amendment 110 would require judges to consider the impact on a child of the decision of not granting bail when determining in criminal proceedings whether to grant bail to a primary carer of that dependent child. Amendments 215 to 217 aim to address inconsistencies in sentencing by requiring judges and magistrates to give due regard to the impact of a sentence on any dependent children and their welfare when sentencing a primary carer. The intention of Amendment 218 is to gather the relevant data about the number of prisoners who are primary carers and the number of children who have a primary carer in custody. Given that there are five amendments here, I hope noble Lords will bear with me.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about security of the UK fishing industry

On 1st November 2021, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on government efforts to reassure UK fishing industry following the seizure of a fishing vessel by the French authorities:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reassure the UK fishing industry following the seizure of a UK vessel by the French authorities.

Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): My Lords, I cannot comment on the specifics of this case, given that legal proceedings are under way. More broadly, however, we are disappointed at the French Government’s recent actions, culminating in threats that were issued on Wednesday. We have raised our concerns with the French Government and the Commission. The Government have been clear that, if these actions were to be taken, they would put the EU in breach of the TCA. Our approach to licensing has been reasonable and fully in line with the TCA.

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Bishop of Chelmsford introduced

On 1st November 2021, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani was introduced to the House of Lords and took her seat on the Bishops Benches as a Lord Spiritual.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about results of the United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked what assessment they have made of the Forces in Mind Trust report The United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study, published on 23 September.

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Bishop of Durham asks about cases of COVID-19 among asylum seekers at Napier Barracks

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 1st November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of COVID-19 there have been at Napier Barracks since April.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): Twelve people have tested positive for coronavirus whilst accommodated at Napier Barracks since April 2021.

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