Category: Bills

Legislation before Parliament

Mental Health Bill: Bishop of London raises issues of trust and accessibility for faith communities

The Bishop of London spoke at the second reading of the Mental Health Bill on 25th November 2024, raising the issues of trust and accessible care across different communities and faith traditions, and the need for investment in the mental health workforce:

My Lords, I am grateful to be able to participate in Second Reading of this important Bill. It is a privilege to follow the noble Baronesses, Lady Barker and Lady Watkins, who have a real breadth of experience in this field. I too welcome, along with many noble Lords, the reform of the Mental Health Act, which is long overdue.

The noble Earl, Lord Howe, highlighted the over-representation of minoritised communities detained under the Act but also placed on community treatment orders. Some groups are also more likely to be detained through contact with the criminal justice system or emergency departments. It is important to remember that we are speaking about these inequalities in the wider context of health inequalities; some groups present to health services far later, when their symptoms have worsened. The Royal College of Nursing notes in its briefing that mental health services are

“not seen as accessible to all communities”,

and that:

“Many black men have a first interaction with a service via the police during a crisis”.

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Votes: Water (Special Measures) Bill

On 20th November 2024, the House of Lords debated the Water (Special Measures) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part.

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Home Education Registration and Support Bill: Bishop of Hereford raises rural schooling and SEND

The Bishop of Hereford spoke in the second reading debate on the Home Education Registration and Support Bill on 15th November 2024, raising the issue of rural schooling and the need to support vulnerable children such as those with SEND:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, I have not done home education myself. My only experience was standing over my own sons for long hours encouraging a more focused approach to their GCSE revision. This only affirmed my admiration for those who actively choose to home educate their children.

I commend the noble Lord, Lord Storey, for placing the welfare of children at the heart of the Bill. There is some resistance to the idea of compulsory registration in the home-education community, as set out in new Section 436B. There is also disquiet about the content of the proposed register, as set out in new Sections 436C and 436D, which is seen as an example of state overreach. While I support the overall thrust of the noble Lord’s Bill, I hope that further work will be done to clarify the limits of the information recorded and the provision of safeguards to protect parental rights. The proposals for registration and support in the Bill should allow a better collaborative approach between home educators and education professionals.

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Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports legislation

On 15th November 2024, the Bishop of Gloucester spoke in support of the Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill, a private members bill seeking to allow for resentencing of people currently serving IPP sentences, those recalled to prison, and those under IPP sentences on conditional release:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I add my voice in favour of the Bill, and say amen to all that I have heard. I declare an interest as the Anglican bishop for prisons in England and Wales. I an not going to repeat all that has been said regarding the shocking statistics that have already been outlined.

Like other noble Lords, I am glad that such sentences can no longer be given and that there have been some changes in the rules around the termination of licences, but those rules are complicated and not easy to navigate. That is particularly significant when it comes to offering hope and support not only to those serving their sentences but to families and friends as well.

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Football Governance Bill: Bishop of Sheffield welcomes legislation

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke at the second reading of the Football Governance Bill on 13th November 2024, welcoming the legislation and the strengthening of regulation and protections for football governance:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I congratulate the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Minister for securing this debate, and thank the previous Government for their efforts to ensure that the sport of football—a national treasure beloved of so many—is more effectively regulated.

I realise that I cannot claim that football was made in Sheffield but, in addition to the codification referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, in London in 1863, a second codification of the beautiful game took place in Sheffield in 1867—another early governance document for the sport that was influential for decades across the north. The city is home to the oldest football club in the world, Hallam FC, as well as to the two much better-known professional football clubs, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

As Bishop of Sheffield, it gives me great pleasure to contribute to this important debate. It is a particular privilege to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson. I want to say, first, something about the relationship between football clubs and their communities; secondly, something about financial stability; and thirdly, something about the responsibility of football clubs in relation to the climate emergency.

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Votes: Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill

On 6th November 2024, the House of Lords debated the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part.

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Crown Estate Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendment on fish-farming regulations

On 5th November 2024, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Crown Estate Bill. The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of an amendment tabled by Lord Forsyth of Drumlean on regulations around salmon farming on the Estate:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, just briefly, I add to the wide range of support that the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, has had on this amendment some from our Benches here.

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Votes: Crown Estate Bill

On 5th November 2024, the House of Lords debated the Crown Estate Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill: Bishop of Leeds thanks Government and the House for support

On 22nd October 2024, the Bishop of Leeds spoke at the third reading of the Lords Spiritual  (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill, thanking the Government and the House for their support:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I think it is down to me to thank the Government. All the other Bishops are at a House of Bishops residential elsewhere. I thank the Government for taking this on and thank those who contributed to the debate at different stages. This is a mechanism to allow us to make the progress which we need to make more quickly. I am grateful to the Government and the House for their support.

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Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill: Bishop of Leeds urges improvements to apprenticeship levy

On 22nd October 2024, the Bishop of Leeds spoke at the second reading of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill, calling for improvements to the apprenticeship levy, thereby incentivising small and medium-sized enterprises to hire apprentices and expanding opportunities for the most vulnerable young adults and learners:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare. I realise that I stand in the way of the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Beamish, which I look forward to hearing shortly. I shall try to be brief.

I support the Bill in principle, and certainly the ambition behind it—and I certainly understand the logic behind it. A number of questions have already been raised about it that will need some careful addressing and answering if the House is to be confident about what is proposed. I want to focus on the FE sector, which has been facing some difficulty in recent years—facing the uncertainty while awaiting the outcome of the Government’s pause and review of level 3 qualifications, deals with FE pay being considered separately from the ongoing negotiations for the recently resurrected School Support Staff Negotiating Body, and faces up to the impact of sustained cuts and falls in funding in real terms. But FE is doing amazing work, particularly with particular sectors of our young people.

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