parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Bristol asks about progress of schemes to protect leaseholders affected by defective cladding

The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the progress of a low interest pilot scheme for leaseholders in buildings with defective cladding during a debate on building safety on 28th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: Can the Minister update the House on the progress of the capped low-interest scheme for buildings with defective cladding under 18 metres? Can he clarify whether a pilot scheme will, as previously hoped, be functional by the end of the year?

Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendment to limit data extraction powers of immigration officers

On 27th October 2021, during a committee debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in support of an amendment tabled by Lord Rosser which would seek to remove immigration officers from lists of people authorised to carry out data extraction from personal devices:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, some common themes are emerging. I rise in support of Amendment 107, which was tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and to which I have added my name, alongside that of the noble Baroness, Lady Jones.

The inclusion in this Bill of immigration officers among those authorised to undertake digital extractions strikes me as extremely troubling, particularly in the absence of significantly more detail on the safeguards, including the meaning of “agreement” and the specificity of the data sought, and the relevant training and expertise of these officers. Voluntary provision and agreement to extract data must surely rely on a level of informed consent. If it is not, then “voluntary” and “agreement” are just empty words.

Bishop of Bristol speaks on importance of maintaining overseas aid

The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the Overseas Development Aid Budget on 27th October 2021, emphasising the importance of overseas aid in helping countries manage crises, climate initiatives, and public health measures:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, for initiating this short debate. Cuts to overseas aid continue to be of great concern to the Churches, which set the target of 0.7% at a meeting of the World Council of Churches in 1958. The target was then taken up by the United Nations in 1970.

The Government have now walked away from their own manifesto commitment to the 0.7% target and there are considerable concerns, as we have heard, that it may never be regained, despite the Chancellor’s announcement in today’s Budget. Meanwhile, as we have also heard, there are increasing needs for aid, not least because of Covid and climate change. As the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury said in response to recent cuts:

“Reducing our overseas aid commitment at this critical time is morally wrong, politically foolish and an act of national self-harm.”

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports expansion of “serious violence” definition to include domestic abuse

On 27th October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill in the third day of committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during the debate, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Bertin to include domestic abuse in the definition of “serious violence” under the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too add my support to the amendment moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Bertin. Many points have been covered, and I simply want to say that if the definition of serious violence is not expanded in this way, the concern is that many local areas will not consider it within their strategies.

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Mission in Revision Paper

On 26th October 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Gareth Davies MP (Con, Grantham & Stamford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations he has received from (a) lay parish members and (b) clergy on the Mission from (i) from Grantham and Stamford constituency and (ii) areas of England on the Mission in Revision Synod Paper (GS2222).

Bishop of Durham asks about support for developing countries affected by climate change

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 26th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support countries that are vulnerable to disruption caused by climate change; what discussions they have had with the government of Burundi about the impact of rising water levels of Lake Tanganyika on the displacement of people; and what support, if any, they intend to provide to that country to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Bishop of Bristol speaks on importance of data gathering to address ethnicity pay gap

On 25th October 2021, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the ethnicity pay gap in the UK, emphasising the importance of accurate data collection to understand and address pay gap issues:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, for raising this Question for Short Debate.

I know from my experience as the former Dean of York the significant positive impact gender pay gap reporting had on the implementation of inclusion policies in an institution which had previously been overwhelmingly male. Careful attention to the gender pay gap required us to focus continuously on developing opportunities for women, not least in our stoneyard among carpenters and stonemasons, where we achieved parity. We had equal opportunity for girl and boy choristers—but I admit that the back row of the choir presented more of a challenge.

Bishop of St Albans asks about alleviating rural poverty

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on efforts to alleviate in-work poverty in rural areas on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the Rural Services Network Towards the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, published in June, what plans they have accurately to reflect in-work rural poverty in future funding allocation mechanisms.

Bishop of Bristol asks about timescale for improving consideration of environmental concerns in policy-making

On 25th October 2021, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on consideration of nature and the environment in policy-making, during a debate on risks of climate change:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, following the recent Dasgupta review, then Government committed to incorporating nature into the national accounts and improving guidance for embedding environmental concerns into policy-making processes. Can the Government provide an update on the timescale for this work?

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