On 24th July 2015 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received answers to three written questions on forced marriage.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases the Forced Marriage Unit was involved in, or gave support and advice to, in 2014. Continue reading “Forced marriage – Bishop of St Albans asks Government about scale of problem”
“Welcoming the persecuted and the dispossessed is a duty for civilised nations—I would argue that it is a Christian duty—and in the long term it is good for the host nation, as well as for those fleeing for their lives” – Bishop of Peterborough, 22/7/15
On the 22nd July 2015 the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, spoke in a debate on the relocation of Mediterranean migrants within the EU. The Bishop spoke of our duty as a nation to help the persecuted and dispossessed, alongside addressing the root causes through aid, diplomacy and other appropriate means.
The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, like other speakers, I am grateful for this debate and particularly grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Prashar, and her colleagues for this excellent, moving and powerful report.
Of course, there are no easy answers to this dilemma, and I do not pretend that there are. I fully accept that any further help that we offer these poor disrupted people should be on a voluntary basis.Generosity and hospitality are important but cannot be mandated. On the other hand, as relatively wealthy members of the family of nations and of the European Union, we have a duty to help the persecuted and dispossessed, and to offer support to poorer European partners who find themselves under severe pressure. I stress that this is not easy. Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough speaks on our duty to help the persecuted and dispossessed”
On the 22nd July 2015 Lord Aberdare asked the Government ‘how they plan to ensure that the United Kingdom retains its global position in the creative sector in the light of plans announced in June to require all state secondary school pupils to study five English Baccalaureate core subject areas, which exclude any music, arts or culture element’. The Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister asked a supplementary question.
The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, does the Minister agree that education is about not just national productivity but the whole of human flourishing? The arts, music and cultural subjects in general are essential to that.
On the 21st July 2015 the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, spoke during the debate on the Budget Statement. The Bishop welcomed the new National Living Wage and asked for greater transitional support for employers and employees, as well as careful attention to phasing in the reduction in tax credits.
Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough welcomes Budget announcement on National Living Wage”
“The test of the success of this and future Budgets for a country living within its means will be the growing number of households that are equipped and completely free to earn the means to live.” Bishop of Birmingham 21/07/15
On the 21st July 2015 the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Revd David Urquhart, responded to the Budget Statement, during a debate in the House of Lords. The Bishop called for an inclusive capitalism and questioned Lord O’Neill the Commercial Secretary for the Treasury about the impact of the changes to working age benefits. The Bishop also spoke about the need to improve productivity via energising the local economy alongside investing in infrastructure, skills, training and apprenticeships.
Continue reading “Bishop of Birmingham responds to the Budget”
On the 21st July 2015 Lord Lennie asked Her Majesty’s Government ‘what steps they are taking to protect children from payday loan advertisements in the light of the review conducted by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice’. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a supplementary question:
Welcome to the Church of England’s weekly round-up of activity in Parliament.
This week bishops in the House of Lords spoke in debates about religious freedom, the BBC, and shared British values. The Bishop of St Albans led a debate on sustainability of rural communities. Bishops also spoke and voted on the Government’s Psychoactive Substances Bill, the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill and on universal credit regulations and took part in debates on Private Member’s Bills on accessible sports grounds, online safety and a constitutional convention. The Bishop of Leicester, former Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, gave his final speech to the Lords before his retirement this summer.
Continue reading “Church of England Week in Westminster 13th-17th July 2015”
On 17th July 2015 the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, spoke during the Second Reading debate of Lord Purvis of Tweed’s Constitutional Convention Bill. The Bishop welcomed the Bill and its efforts to include those from outside the political sphere in the decision-making process. He also said that the House of Lords needed to resolve the issue of its powers and functions before resolving questions about its membership.
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, on securing time for this Bill—a Bill that, in making provision for a constitutional convention, I am happy to support. I note that a growing consensus is emerging for the constitutional questions that we face to be addressed. To use the terms of the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy, when he recently addressed the House of Bishops, we are faced with a constitutional building site and no blueprint of what it is we are trying to construct. A convention could at least help provide that blueprint. Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark welcomes call for a constitutional convention”
On 17th July 2015 the Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, spoke during the Second Reading debate of Baroness Howe’s Online Safety Bill. The Bishop welcomed the Bill and called for further measures to help adults who are addicted to online pornography.
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I follow two Members of the House with very distinguished medical careers who speak with great authority, which I cannot match. However, I want to approach 
the subject in a slightly different way.
I join noble Lords in congratulating the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, on introducing her new and improved Bill. Though the Bill has been drafted very properly with children in mind, I want to refer to its potential relevance for adults who are struggling with pornography. I am grateful to the charity Naked Truth, which seeks to support adults caught in the net of pornography addiction, for briefing me for the debate. Continue reading “Bishop of Chester calls for strengthened regulations to combat addiction to online pornography”
On 17th July 2015 the Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, spoke during the Second Reading debate of Baroness Howe’s Online Safety Bill. The Bishop welcomed the Bill and its provisions to protect children and young people from being exposed to adult content online.
The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: My Lords, the provisions of this Bill are an important, indeed essential, part of a robust strategy to protect young people and children from the dangers of exposure to inappropriate material. I welcome it warmly. Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth welcomes Bill to protect children from harmful content online”
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