Category: Bills

Legislation before Parliament

Renters Rights Bill: Bishop of Manchester tables amendment on tied accommodation for clergy

On 22nd April 2025, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of his amendment to the Renters Rights Bill at the first day of committee, on the safeguarding of tied accommodation for clergy:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, Amendment 62 in this group, in my name and that of the noble Earl, Lord Leicester, is also about a particular form of occupational housing. I need to declare an interest: I own one small apartment in the West Midlands which has been let out to a tenant for a long time, but, according to some of the media, that makes me a kind of Rachmanite landlord who is trying to destroy the Bill. I can assure your Lordships that that is the last thing I have in mind.

This is about people who live in tied accommodation. As a Church of England bishop, I live in what I suppose we should call a tied palace rather than a tied cottage, but it is accommodation that I inhabit only for as long as I exercise my current office. That is the situation for the vast majority of stipendiary Church of England clergy, many other ministers of religion, and also for farm workers and estate workers who are required, for the better performance of their duties, to live where they actually work. It is a category that is accepted by HMRC, in terms of taxation legislation, as a special form of tenure. A large proportion of those who live in tied accommodation do not have the capacity during their working lives to save up and be able to provide for themselves in retirement, when they eventually have to move out of their tied dwelling.

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Votes: Bus Services (No. 2) Bill

On 2nd April 2025, the House of Lords debated the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

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Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of London advocates for greater inclusion of faith groups in the House of Lords

The Bishop of London spoke at the committee debate on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill on 1st April 2025, supporting the inclusion of wider faith representatives in the House of Lords:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 109, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Northbrook. Those of us on these Benches are clear that we support the inclusion of wider faith representatives in your Lordships’ House.

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Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports amendment on nomination of peers following passage of the bill

The Bishop of St Albans spoke at the committee stage of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill on 1st April 2025, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Mobarik which “would require the Prime Minister to give groups in Parliament the ability to nominate individuals to be appointed as life peers to replace the number of hereditary peers in their group. This could include reappointing some hereditary peers as life peers.”

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I will not detain the Committee for long. I find myself very much in sympathy with the intention of this amendment and particularly with what the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, said a few moments ago.

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Bishop of Chichester moves chancel repair and church funding measures

On 31st March 2025, the Bishop of Chichester moved that the Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure and the Church Funds Investment Measure be presented for Royal Assent:

Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: That this House do direct that, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919, the Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.

My Lords, this Measure rationalises the legal basis on which the Church Commissioners are obliged to provide funds to repair the chancels of certain parish churches. The existing law in this area has its origins in the time before the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. The rule that applied generally in England was that the people of the parish were responsible for maintaining the nave of the parish church, the main part of the church where the people would generally stand or kneel during services, and the rector of the parish was responsible for the chancel, the eastern-most part of the church that contains the altar and seats the clergy.

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Employment Rights Bill: Bishop of Newcastle welcomes improvements to workers’ rights

On 27th March 2025, the Bishop of Newcastle spoke at the second reading of the Employment Rights Bill, welcoming the bill and emphasising the need to enable workers to flourish in order to grow the economy:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I am glad to speak in this Second Reading. I look forward to the maiden speeches and welcome new Members to your Lordships’ House.

Some years ago, I undertook research on the apostle Paul and work. Paul was never one to shy away from hard work and spoke of the personal cost of his tent making business, describing it as wearisome and fraught with the challenges of local politics. Two thousand years later, we continue to live amid diverse uncertainties.

The desire to make work pay and improve workers’ rights, as proposed by this Bill, must pay attention to the obvious: people who work are human beings. A strong economy needs resilient workers. As we scrutinise this legislation, we do so affirming that workers matter. If we get this right, we can move closer to a society in which people are viewed with inherent value and dignity. When people are valued and supported in what they do, they contribute to greater economic flourishing.

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Votes: National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill

On 24th March 2025, the House of Lords debated the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

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Armed Forces Commissioner Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendments on families of service members

On 19th March 2025, the Bishop of Norwich spoke in favour of amendments to the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill regarding support for families of service members:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, and the reflections that he has offered the Committee. I rise to support Amendments 8 and 9. I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Minto, and the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, for outlining their thinking around this issue because it goes to the heart of how we as a nation care for and see the well-being of our Armed Forces and their families, as part of the whole package that we offer to them.

As I think noble Lords know, I speak as the father of a member of the Armed Forces. It is often said that a parent is only as happy as their least happy child. On one level, I can imagine that it is also true that a member of His Majesty’s Armed Forces is only as happy as their least happy family member. So there is a pastoral duty here—one that is supported by many in the Armed Forces, including welfare organisations and our military chaplains—but both these amendments would help us really state the pastoral support that we as a nation feel is important for not only our Armed Forces personnel but their children, their families and their dependants.

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Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill: Bishop of London welcomes legislation

The Bishop of London spoke at the second reading of the Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill on 19th March 2025, welcoming the bill and its intended purpose of removing the prohibition on Roman Catholics serving as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble and learned Lords, Lord Wallace and Lord Hope. We on these Benches welcome this Bill and, as we have already heard, so does the Church of Scotland.

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Votes: Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

On 18th March 2025, the House of Lords debated the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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