On 15th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the National Security and Investment Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: National Security and Investment Bill
Category: Bills
Legislation before Parliament
Financial Services Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports amendments to establish standards for debt collectors and to regulate online gambling
On 14th April 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Financial Services Bill. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in support of an amendment seeking to introduce a regulatory body for debt collectors, and moved his own amendment which would establish greater autonomy for users on blocking online gambling purchases:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 16 and then address my own Amendment 27. The introduction of a regulatory body to oversee the rules governing the behaviour of bailiffs would greatly strengthen complaints handling for the victims of practices that fall outside the national guidelines. The FCA reported in its Financial Lives 2020 Survey that 3.8 million people in the UK are currently experiencing “financial difficulty”. It is a terrible situation that takes a significant toll on people’s health and relationships. This amendment seeks to address an important concern: the fair treatment of people by enforcement agents who collect debts, often from vulnerable people who are in grave financial distress.
The absence of an independent regulator means that, when breaches of national standards occur, any complaints will be dealt with through the company or a trade association, before possibly being passed on to an ombudsman. This is an arduous process that prevents complaints from being adequately actioned. Furthermore, these national standards are not legally binding, which obscures the extent to which an individual can seek redress. No industry is exempt from poor practice. While most enforcement agents will probably abide by national standards, nevertheless we need to make sure that they are properly regulated.
Continue reading “Financial Services Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports amendments to establish standards for debt collectors and to regulate online gambling”Votes: Financial Services Bill
On 14th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the Financial Services Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill
On 13th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Financial Services Bill
On 24th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Financial Services Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks at second reading
The Bishop of Durham spoke at the second reading of the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill on 19th March 2021, supporting the bill and emphasising the need to ensure affordable and ethically made school uniforms be made accessible to all:
The Lord Bishop of Durham [V]: My Lords, I speak in my capacity as chair of the National Society, and thus lead bishop in the Church of England for education. In principle, uniform is a fantastic leveller: it can foster unity and provides an opportunity for students to worry less about the challenges of fitting in. It is therefore worrying to find that the cost of uniforms is instead causing division by highlighting disparities. Having poverty- aware uniform policies means that we can avoid worsening the disadvantages that a child in poverty is already faced with. We must return uniforms to being beneficial, which the Bill will do. The Bill has my support, as it would ensure that all families can afford uniforms.
Continue reading “Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks at second reading”Votes: Domestic Abuse Bill
On 17th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Domestic Abuse Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part.
Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans tables motion to amend bill and provide financial protection for leaseholders
On 17ht March 2021, the Bishop of St Albans moved a motion to amend to the Fire Safety Bill which would protect leaseholders from costs incurred in replacing flammable cladding:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I speak to Motion C1 and Amendments 4B to 4E. I give notice of my intention to seek the opinion of the House when the time comes. I declare my interest in the register in that I, too, am a vice-president of the Local Government Association.
I first thank the honourable Members for Stevenage and for Southampton, Itchen, who originally prepared these amendments, as well as the signatories from all parties when they were tabled in the Commons. I also thank the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London, who joins me in supporting it, and pay tribute to one of our colleagues, the Bishop of Kensington, who has worked very closely on the ground with victims of Grenfell and leaseholders.
Continue reading “Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans tables motion to amend bill and provide financial protection for leaseholders”Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment providing temporary leave to remain for migrant victims of abuse
On 15th March 2021, during a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill, the Bishop of Gloucester moved her amendment to the bill which would provide temporary leave to remain and access to public funds to support migrant victims of domestic abuse:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I should like at the outset to acknowledge the assistance that I have received from Southall Black Sisters in preparing this amendment, and also thank the Minister for her time and compassion in discussing this with me. Amendment 70 is tabled in my name with the support of the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Goudie and Lady Hamwee, and I am grateful to every one of them.
I know that the protection of all victims of domestic abuse is a priority of noble Lords across the House, and I am grateful for the support shown for this amendment, which aims to provide migrant victims of abuse with temporary leave to remain and access to public funds for a period of no less than six months, so that they can access support services while they flee abuse and apply to resolve their immigration status. The mechanism for doing so is straightforward: extend the eligibility criteria of the existing domestic violence—DV—rule, which is a proven route for a limited group of survivors, including those on certain spousal and partner visas.
The Government raised concerns over the interpretation of the amendment, so we have made a couple of minor changes to proposed new subsections (1) and (2) to clarify the purpose of this amendment. There is also an updated explanatory note. I hope that what is now clear from the minor changes to the wording is that we are asking for temporary leave to remain and access to public funds while these extremely vulnerable people escape their abusers and regularise their immigration status. This is not about guaranteeing indefinite leave to remain to all migrant victims of abuse.
Continue reading “Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment providing temporary leave to remain for migrant victims of abuse”Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Carlisle supports amendment on medical evidence charges
On 15th March 2021, during a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill, the Bishop of Carlisle spoke in support of an amendment addressing fees charged for medical evidence:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle [V]: My Lords, I too address Amendment 71. As the lead bishop for health and social care, and with the support of my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London—as we have heard, she supported this amendment in Committee—I also thank the Government for listening and for tabling amendments that prohibit charging for medical evidence under these circumstances. I also pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, for his hard work in raising this matter. I regard the Government’s proposal as an excellent addition to the Bill, which will greatly assist a group of highly vulnerable people in securing the support that they need, and I am glad of this opportunity to express our gratitude to all those involved in bringing this about.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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