Author: parliamentaryunit

Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill – Full Transcript of Lords Second Reading debate

Red Benches

On 12th February 2015 the House of Lords debated at Second Reading ther Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill. A full transcript of that debate is below. See also the speeches made in the debate by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Leicester.

Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill

11:39 A.M.

Lord Faulks (The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice): That the Bill be read a second time .

Lord Taylor Of Holbeach (Con): My Lords, I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen to acquaint the House that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill, has consented to place her prerogative, so far is it is affected by the Bill, at the disposal of Parliament for the purposes of the Bill.

Lord Faulks (The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice): My Lords, this Bill will enable female diocesan bishops of the Church of England to become Lords Spiritual sooner than they would under current rules. Continue reading “Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill – Full Transcript of Lords Second Reading debate”

Bishop of Leicester: Lords Spritual (Women) Bill to serve “interests of the nation”

On 12th February 2015, the House of Lords debated the Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill at Second Reading. The Bill will bring forward the time at which the first female diocesan bishops can sit as Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords. Speaking just prior to the ‘winding up’ of the debate, the Bishop of Leicester responded to a small number of questions raised in the course of the debate:
14.04.01 Bishop of LeicesterThe Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I know I speak for all of us on this Bench in wanting to express our appreciation to your Lordships’ House for the serious, thoughtful and supportive way that your Lordships have considered this legislation, and to rehearse the most reverend Primate’s appreciation to the Government and Opposition Benches, and to the usual channels, for making it possible for the Bill to reach this stage so quickly. Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester: Lords Spritual (Women) Bill to serve “interests of the nation””

Archbishop of Canterbury speaks in support of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill

On 12th February 2015 the House of Lords debated the Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill at Second Reading. The Bill will bring forward the time at which the first female diocesan bishops can sit as Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords. The Archbishop of Canterbury gave the Bill his wholehearted support. He said:

Archbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury:

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for those opening remarks. I wish to put on record my personal thanks and those of the church to the Government for securing the time to bring this Bill forward, and to the Opposition for giving their support to the proposal. Continue reading “Archbishop of Canterbury speaks in support of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill”

Bishop of Rochester commends ‘Houses into Homes’ initiative to reduce levels of empty housing

On 12th February 2015, Lord Dubs to ask Her Majesty’s Government what further steps they are taking to reduce the number of residential properties left vacant by their owners. The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd James Langstaff, asked a supplementary question:

Bishop of RochesterThe Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, the contributions already made have underlined the importance of this and the potential for tackling some of the issues in the housing market and the lack of housing. While this may be a relatively small part of that, is the Minister aware of schemes such as the Houses into Homes initiative in Wales, which uses recyclable loans mainly to private individuals and has managed to return some 2,000 empty homes to use since 2012? Do the Government have further plans to encourage such initiatives, particularly those that are at a local level and involve private individuals and the voluntary sector? Continue reading “Bishop of Rochester commends ‘Houses into Homes’ initiative to reduce levels of empty housing”

Bishop of St Albans – Egypt (Written Answer)

On 12th February 2015, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, received an answer to a written question on the subject of press freedom in Egypt.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Egypt, following the release of Peter Greste, on behalf of Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. [HL4586]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns): The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), make regular representations to the Egyptian government to press them to take further action to ensure the release of other journalists from prison, to release political detainees and to relax restrictions on civil society. The Foreign Secretary made a press statement on 2 February welcoming the release of Peter Greste but stating his concern that Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed remain in detention. He called on the Egyptian authorities to review their cases and the sentences of those tried in absentia as a matter of urgency. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans – Egypt (Written Answer)”

Bishop of Worcester Supports Ban on Pavement Parking

On 11th February 2015, the Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd John Inge, spoke during the Report Stage of the Deregulation Bill. He spoke in favour of an amendment prohibiting parking on pavements and verges. Following assurances from the Minister, the amendment was withdrawn.

WorcesterThe Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, I support the amendment, whose importance has been ably and eloquently demonstrated by the noble Lords, Lord Low and Lord Tope. It is quite clear that the present situation is costly and complex, as has been said. I should like very briefly, given the hour, to demonstrate how in Worcester—one of the few cities in the UK that has tried to tackle the problem of pavement parking —there have been difficulties because of the current situation.

Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester Supports Ban on Pavement Parking”

Bishop of Worcester Calls for Greater Third Sector Involvement in Local Enterprise Partnerships

On 11th February 2015, Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of local enterprise partnerships on the economy and key skills in their local areas. The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd John Inge, asked a supplementary question:

WorcesterThe Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, does the Minister agree that the involvement of the third sector in local enterprise partnerships is very enriching? As that involvement is very varied across the nation, would she be prepared to monitor the involvement of, and the partnership with, the third sector, as part of an assessment of the progress of LEPs?

Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills): As I have said, the composition of a local enterprise partnership is very much a matter for the LEP, provided that it is business led and brings in local democracy with the local authorities. Otherwise, we draw on people who can help with growth and skills, and certainly there are those in the third sector who bring great strength to these areas.

(Via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of St Albans Calls for Government Support for Voter Registration

On 11th February 2015, Lord Storey asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to allow pupils to register to vote in schools, sixth form and further education colleges. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a supplementary question:

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for referring to last week’s National Voter Registration Day. As part of that, I went into Townsend School in St Albans with two dynamic members of Bite the Ballot, who were able to bring the whole thing alive in an interactive and very lively session. They handed out registration forms at the end and offered to take them back in—so they are already doing this sort of work. Have Her Majesty’s Government considered supporting that organisation and other similar ones that are already doing this work in a very creative way?

Lord Wallace of Saltaire (Cabinet Office): My Lords, I have played the game Rock Enrol!, and I hope that a lot of other noble Lords have done so, too. It demonstrates to young people how politics matters to them. I hope that that is going on all over the place. The Government have their own version of this, and Bite the Ballot has adapted another one. We are discussing with Bite the Ballot the question of support and we very much encourage what it and a number of other organisations are doing to bring young people back into being interested and involved in politics.

(Via Parliament.uk)

Deregulation Bill- Divisions

On 11th February 2015, three bishops took part in divisions on the Government’s Deregulation Bill, during its Report Stage.

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

Continue reading “Deregulation Bill- Divisions”

St Albans- Forced Marriage (Written Answer)

On 11th February 2015, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, received an answer to a written question on the Government’s collection of data on forced marriage.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to gather data on the number of girls under the legal age of marriage who had married abroad and have been brought back to the United Kingdom, as part of the work of the Forced Marriage Unit.

Baroness Anelay of St John’s – Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office): The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) provides a range of support and assistance in cases where British nationals are at risk of forced marriage abroad. In 2013, the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1302 cases. Where the age was known, 15% of cases involved victims below 16 years and 25% involved victims aged 16-17. Where a victim is repatriated back to the UK, this is individually recorded on case notes.

(Via Parliament.uk)