parliamentaryunit

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about US military actions in Iran

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 18th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:

what steps they are taking to prioritise the safety of UK nationals, diplomats and military personnel in the Middle East, including their safe passage out of the region. Hansard
what steps they are taking to work with regional partners, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Turkey, to encourage the United States of America and Iran to find a diplomatic solution to war. Hansard
what assessment they have made of the diplomatic progress made in the negotiations between the United States of America and Iran before the start of US military action against Iran. Hansard
what assessment they have made of the compliance of military action by the United States of America against Iran with Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. Hansard
what representations they have made to the government of the United States about the limitations and risks of military action in Iran. Hansard
what assessment they have made of the impact of military action by the United States against Iran on the level of military assistance to Ukraine. Hansard
what is their  response to civilian casualties in Iran caused by the military action by the United States and Israel; and what steps they are taking to support Iranian people by providing aid and continued access to information channels. Hansard
what assessment they have made of the potential for an increase in refugees from Iran; and what steps they are taking to establish safe and legal routes, and humanitarian assistance, to those seeking to leave Iran. Hansard

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about making housing available

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 18th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan for a proportion of their 1.5 million homes target to be met by bringing empty homes back into use.

Bishop of Manchester asks about access to healthcare in rural areas

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on access to GP services in rural areas during a discussion on a Commons Urgent Question on the GP Contract on 17th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the Statement made in the other place refers explicitly to coastal areas and deprived places, and I welcome that. Will the Minister say something about how we can ensure that there is good access to GP services in rural areas?

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about BBC World Service

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the role of the BBC World Service in faith education, during a discussion on the sustainability of the service on 17th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, the World Service has been particularly effective at communicating issues of faith and freedom of religion, and, notably, at addressing misinformation during times of global conflict. In the light of the increasing importance of this, what steps are the Government taking to ensure that it is well placed to play an increasing educative role in the understanding of faith?

Votes: Pension Schemes Bill

On 16th March 2026, the House of Lords debated the Pension Schemes Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

Bishop of Manchester asks about tackling antisemitism on university campuses

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the roles of external actors in fuelling antisemitism on university campuses, and the role of university chaplaincy teams in addressing this, on 16th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, this has been a significant issue in Manchester for all my time as Bishop and I am glad we are having this chance to consider it. What assessment is being made of the extent to which external actors—we have heard about university lecturers, but maybe even foreign Governments—are fuelling this? To what extent can the multifaith chaplaincy teams that many of our universities have be part of the means of addressing it?

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about changes to wedding celebrant law

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the issues associated with commercial wedding celebrants during a discussion on the legalisation of humanist weddings on 16th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, I welcome the Government’s intention to make it easier for couples to marry in legally binding ceremonies that reflect their religious, or non-religious, beliefs. However, I am concerned by the potential direction of travel of some aspects of these reforms, particularly the possible authorisation of this new category of commercial celebrants, which the Minister has referred to. I understand that, as has already been acknowledged, Humanists UK shares this concern. Can the Minister set out how the Government will ensure that safeguards are in place to protect against the commercialisation of weddings?

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about government housing targets

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 16th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of labour shortages, planning and regulatory rules, and any viability challenges, on the delivery of their target to build 1.5 million homes.

Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Bishop of Leicester welcomes legislation

The Bishop of Leicester spoke at the second reading of the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill on 12th March 2026, welcoming the bill and criticising the impact of the two child limit on poverty and the associated sense of shame those engaging with the welfare system are made to feel:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I warmly welcome the introduction of the Bill and the opportunity today to comment on it. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Teather, on her truly excellent maiden speech, and I look forward to the maiden contributions of the noble Baroness, Lady Antrobus, and the noble Lord, Lord Walker, as well as of other noble Lords.

I count myself very fortunate to have never experienced true poverty myself, but I have spent much of my working life living in communities where poverty was very real—both the absolute poverty of one of the poorest nations in Africa, where I worked for several years, and the relative poverty of inner-city Sheffield, where I was vicar for a decade before becoming Bishop of Leicester.

Archbishop of York asks about implementation of new definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility

The Archbishop of York asked a question on the implementation of the new non-statutory definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it has been a great honour in the last few weeks to have been the guest at several iftar meals with the Muslim community in Yorkshire, where I am based. I know the noble Baroness mentioned the debate on Monday, but knowing how real Muslim hate crime is and hearing stories from Muslim neighbours just in the last few days, it would be good to hear more about how this is going to be implemented, because this is a definition not to sit on a shelf but to be used to help us become a more tolerant society.

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