On 11th June, the House of Lords debated the Holocaust Memorial Bill. Votes were held on an amendment to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Votes: Holocaust Memorial Bill
Category: Bills
Legislation before Parliament
Holocaust Memorial Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendment on building of learning centre
On 11th June 2025, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of an amendment to the Holocaust Memorial Bill tabled by Lord Russell of Liverpool, which would stipulate that: “No Learning Centre should be constructed underground in order that a Learning Centre be constructed of adequate size in line with the recommendation of the 2015 Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report and in order to avoid detriment to Victoria Tower Gardens.”
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I support Amendment 2 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Russell of Liverpool, as it encapsulates my concern. I intend to speak briefly. During the debate on ping-pong on the data Bill on 2 June, the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, referred to some pre-ministerial training administered in the days before he and colleagues entered government, which included a former senior civil servant saying:
“Whatever happens, it is never too late to avoid making a bad decision”.—[Official Report, 2/6/25; col. 498.]
Continue reading “Holocaust Memorial Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendment on building of learning centre”Votes: Armed Forces Commissioner Bill
On 11th June 2025, the House of Lords debated the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill. Votes were held on an amendment to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendment on bereavement policies in schools
On 9th June 2025, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill tabled by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, which would establish a requirement for schools to have bereavement policies to support children affected by loss:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am grateful for the Bill as an opportunity to address a number of what we call adverse childhood experiences. I suspect that, given the lateness of the hour, we are not going to reach some of my amendments on care leavers that are scheduled for later. This group, particularly Amendment 171, deals with children who have experienced bereavement. Not much has been said about that in this short debate, so I will say a few words.
Continue reading “Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendment on bereavement policies in schools”Votes: Data (Use and Access) Bill
On 4th June 2025, the House of Lords debated the Data (Use and Access Bill). Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill
On 4th June 2025, the House of Lords debated the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a bishop took part:
Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill: Bishop of Southwark speaks at second reading
The Bishop of Southwark spoke at the second reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill on 2nd June 2025, pointing out the need for resources involved in managing the immigration and asylum system, and the potential effects of further hard line approaches to immigration enforcement:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the diocese in which I serve covers one of the most diverse parts of the country. Indeed, arguably, south London is one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world. This diversity is often represented in our churches, which have benefited, as has the rest of the country, from the great human fact of migration. It would be good to hear some recognition of this in government and Home Office statements.
It is worth stressing that the vast majority of migrants to this country come here properly under the Immigration Rules, and thus there is no proper sense in which their arrival and settlement can be described as uncontrolled. The Government of the day may, for good reasons of public policy, wish to alter the rules or introduce fresh primary legislation, but that does not mean that a system and process is not in place, that applications are not assessed and fees paid, and that the results do not match what Parliament has sanctioned.
Continue reading “Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill: Bishop of Southwark speaks at second reading”Votes: Data (Use and Access) Bill
On 2nd June 2025, the House of Lords debated the Data (Use and Access) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Data (Use and Access) Bill
On 19th May 2025, the House of Lords debated the Data (Use and Access) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Bishop of Lichfield highlights concerns around social security
The Bishop of Lichfield spoke at the second reading of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill on 15th May 2025, raising concerns regarding the impact of the bill on the social security system:
The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: My Lords, I am very glad to see the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Spielman, on the speakers’ list for this debate; I look forward to her maiden speech and her future contributions to this House.
We all need to acknowledge the understandable frustration, felt from government downwards, about waste in public spending and fraud perpetrated at the public’s expense. It is right that expenditure be managed carefully, ensuring that people receive support when they need it, and eliminating fraud and error within the system as far as that is possible.
At the encouragement of my right reverend friend the Bishop of Leicester, who much regrets that he cannot be in his place today, I will focus on the second limb of this Bill, which concerns individual claimants of social security. This is a matter of morality. To support people into work, where they are able; to ensure that people can enjoy an acceptable standard of living when they cannot work or to top up their low income; and to deliver a fair and sustainable social security system now and in the future: these are all moral imperatives. Addressing fraud and error—ensuring that government can recover money when required—is also a morally vital matter of maintaining public consent, which should be a welcome outcome of this proposed legislation. Put simply, our social security system must both be fair and be perceived as fair by the public.
Continue reading “Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Bishop of Lichfield highlights concerns around social security”
You must be logged in to post a comment.