Author: parliamentaryunit

Apprenticeships and Professional Registration- Written Question

On 9th April 2014 the Bishop of St Albans received an answer to a written question on apprenticeships:

Question Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans:

14.03 Bishop of St AlbansTo ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to link apprenticeships to professional registration in order to establish recognised industry standards for apprenticeship and traineeship schemes. [HL6576]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): We are reforming Apprenticeships by putting employers in the driving seat of designing new Apprenticeship standards. These will include skills and any specific requirements for professional registration, so that on completion a successful apprentice can achieve professional registration where appropriate.

Traineeships are a flexible programme aimed at providing young people with skills and experience they need to be able to compete for Apprenticeships and other sustainable jobs. At the core of Traineeships are work preparation training, English and maths and a work experience placement with an employer. Links to professional registration are not a requirement for Traineeships, but providers have the flexibility to add additional content which could include sector-specific training or qualifications where these are publicly funded.

(via Parliament.uk)

Maiden speech by the Bishop of Portsmouth – Higher Education

On 9th April 2014 the Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Rev Christopher Foster, gave his maiden speech in a House of Lords debate to take note of Higher Education in the UK.

14.04.09 Portsmouth maiden speech 1

Bishop Christopher focused his remarks on his diocese, the important role of Portsmouth University, access for international students and on local economic disadvantage. His speech in full is below: Continue reading “Maiden speech by the Bishop of Portsmouth – Higher Education”

Higher Education: a public good for the common good – speech by Bishop of Winchester

“There is need for public investment in universities, otherwise what is currently a public good will again become a private good, affordable to a few.” – Bishop of Winchester, 9/4/14 

Bishop of Winchester

On 9th April 2014 the House of Lords debated a Government motion to take note of Higher Education in the UK. The Bishop of Winchester, lead bishop for HE, spoke about the work of the Church of England in the field through its Cathedrals Group of universities, as well as the ethos and purpose of Higher Education. Continue reading “Higher Education: a public good for the common good – speech by Bishop of Winchester”

Schools: attainment by ethnic minority pupils

In the House of Lords on 8th April 2014 Baroness Benjamin asked Her Majesty’s Government ‘what steps they are taking to raise the academic attainment levels of black British students, and especially those of Caribbean descent?’ The Bishop of St Albans asked a supplementary question:

14.03 Bishop of St Albans

 

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, what assessment have Her Majesty’s Government made of the impact on educational attainment of the absorption of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Awards into the dedicated schools grant, which was done some months ago?

Lord Nash: The impact was substantial. I will have to write to the right reverend Prelate to give him more details.

(via Parliament.uk)

Archbishop of Canterbury welcomes Draft Modern Slavery Bill

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has welcomed the publication today of the report and draft Bill by the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Modern Slavery.

Archbishop Justin

The Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, Bishop of Derby, was a member of the Joint Select Committee, and the report can be read in full here. In March 2014, the Archbishop also gave his backing to the Global Freedom Network, an ecumenical initiative to combat modern slavery and human trafficking. You can read more about the Global Freedom Network here.

Archbishop Justin said: “I strongly welcome the report and draft Bill published today by the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Modern Slavery, which has cross-party support. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Committee’s members for their efforts, and I would like to extend particular thanks to my colleague Alastair Redfern, the Bishop of Derby, for his participation in the Committee’s work.

Continue reading “Archbishop of Canterbury welcomes Draft Modern Slavery Bill”

Peacekeeping, Reservists, Chaplaincy and the Armed Forces Covenant: Bishop of St Albans

 “I hope that as these covenants are rolled out, we can think about how we can draw in the voluntary sector to offer real and significant support to those who put themselves on the line in the defence of our country.” – Bishop of St Albans, 7/4/14

14.03 Bishop of St Albans

On 7th April 2014 Lord Dannatt tabled a question for short debate, ‘to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether they have sufficient manpower and the right balance of regular and reserve forces within the Armed Forces in order to meet the United Kingdom’s current national and international responsibilities and requirements’. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, spoke: Continue reading “Peacekeeping, Reservists, Chaplaincy and the Armed Forces Covenant: Bishop of St Albans”

Votes: Immigration Bill (trafficking, citizenship)

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

Bishops took part in two votes in the House of Lords on amendments to the Government’s Immigration Bill at its Report Stage on 7th April 2014. In both cases the amendments passed, meaning the Government was defeated. Continue reading “Votes: Immigration Bill (trafficking, citizenship)”

Archbishop’s phone-in on LBC radio: transcript

Justin-Welby_2873342b

On Friday 4th April 2014 the Archbishop of Canterbury took questions from callers to LBC’s James O’Brien radio show. Topics covered included same-sex marriage, the nature of God, climate change, economics and investments, female bishops, welfare reform and relations within the Anglican Communion. A transcript is below. The full recording can also be heard here.

Update: On 6th April the Archbishop gave a joint interview to BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Programme, with Cardinal Vincent Nichols. In it he was asked to expand on the final answer he gave during the LBC interview. The Sunday Programme recording can be heard here (27 mins 55 secs in)

Continue reading “Archbishop’s phone-in on LBC radio: transcript”

Abortion on grounds of gender or disability: Bishop of Leicester raises concerns

On 3rd April 2014 the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Tim Stevens, spoke during a short debate in the Lords on abortion, tabled by Baroness Knight of Collingtree. The debate title was: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to investigate reported law breaking by those carrying out terminations of pregnancies.” The Bishop said:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, whatever our differing positions on the ethics of abortion, it must be a matter of widespread concern if there is the appearance of a long-standing gap between the spirit of the Abortion Act and the interpretation of the law. This is a matter of particular interest to many in the churches because of a theological commitment to the sanctity of human life, including potential human life.

14.04.01 Bishop of Leicester Continue reading “Abortion on grounds of gender or disability: Bishop of Leicester raises concerns”

Bishop of St Albans speech marking International Roma Day

On 2nd April 2014 Baroness Whitaker tabled a question for short debate: ‘ to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to mark International Roma Day.’

The Bishop of St Albans gave a speech highlighting the work being undertaken in Luton in support of the Roma community in the diocese of St Albans, He also focused on the need to improve educational opportunities for Roma children.

14.03 Bishop of St Albans

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker, for securing this debate, Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans speech marking International Roma Day”