Legislation before Parliament
On the 16th March 2016 Lord Kerslake moved an amendment to the Government’s Trade Union Bill regarding the introduction of electronic voting for the purpose of ballots held before any trade union action.The Bishop of Chester took part.
Lord Kerslake moved amendment 3, after clause 3, to insert the new clause Electronic balloting Provision for electronic balloting: review and piloting scheme. The House divided: Continue reading “Division: Trade Union Bill- Electronic voting”
On the 16th March 2016 Baroness Featherstone moved a motion to regret the Renewables Obligation Closure Etc. (Amendment) Order 2016. A vote was called and the Bishop of Salisbury took part.
Division Result:
Contents: 153 | Not Contents: 144 | Result: Government Defeat
The Bishop of Salisbury voted Content.
(Via Parliament.UK)
On the 16 March 2016 the Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtham, took part in a debate to approve the Government’s draft Renewables Obligation Closure Etc. (Amendment) Order 2016. Baroness Featherstone also tabled a Motion to Regret the change. The draft instrument closes the renewables obligation from 1 April 2016 (12 months early) to solar PV generating stations at 5 megawatts and below. It applies both to new generating stations and to existing stations that wish to add additional capacity up to the 5 megawatts threshold. The Bishop’s speech is below and the vote on the Regret Motion can be seen here.
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: My Lords, it is curious to rehearse the same arguments so soon after the recent debate on feed-in tariffs. It is very disappointing in the wake of the success in Paris of COP 21, and the enthusiasm engendered from that about a new level of ambition in response to human-caused climate change. I feel as though the Minister is in a position of defending the indefensible. The noble Baroness, Lady Byford, made a very good point about the place of subsidies and pump-priming. Therefore, it is disappointing that the Government are not working more effectively with the renewable energy sector to build on the considerable success of that industry.
Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury urges a rethink on Government renewable energy proposals”
On 15th March 2016, Baroness Lister moved an amendment to the Government’s Immigration Bill which would extend the period for those transitioning from asylum support to work or benefits from 28 to 40 days. The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham James, spoke in support of the amendment. Lord Bates responded on behalf of the Government. Continue reading “Immigration Bill: Bishop of Norwich backs move to extend transitional asylum support for those given leave to remain”
On 15th March, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham James, moved an amenment to the Immigration Bill that would ensure a best interests assessment was undertaken for an child separated from their parents due to an immigration appeal. Lord Keen of Elie responded on behalf of the Government.
On 11th March 2016 the House of Lords considered at Second Reading the Gambling (Categorisation and Use of B2 Gaming Machines) Bill [HL] – a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Lord Clement Jones. Introducing the Bill, Lord Clement Jones said
“Fixed-odds betting terminals—FOBTs—are touch-screen roulette machines in betting shops that allow the user to bet up to £100 every 20-second spin. It is clear that the experiment to allow high-speed roulette in easily accessible betting shops has been a disaster..The essence of my Bill is to reduce the stake to £2 a spin.”
The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in support of the Bill.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for taking forward the Bill, which I support. It enables us to have an opportunity to discuss an area of deep concern to many people on all sides of the House. There is little doubt that B2 gaming machines can be very addictive, which is why, for well over a decade now, successive Governments have talked tough about regulating them, although it seems to me that regulation is not tough enough. This modest Bill is immensely helpful. Continue reading “Gambling Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports move to regulate fixed odds betting terminals”
On 9th March 2016 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Immigration Bill at Report Stage. Votes were held on two amendments, both of which passed. The Bishops of Durham and Chester took part in the votes. Continue reading “Immigration Bill – Divisions”
On 9th March 2016 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Immigration Bill at Report Stage. The House considered an amendment from Lord Alton of Liverpool that sought to give the right to seek work to those asylum seekers whose claims had not been processed within six months. The Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, spoke in support of the amendment, which passed by a vote of 280 to 195.
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I support the amendment and endorse everything that has been said already, and reinforce the point that the General Synod had a major debate on this and overwhelmingly supported such a move.
Some of the saddest conversations I have ever had have been with asylum seekers who came to this country and thought they would be welcomed, but have felt unwelcome; who want to be able to uphold their human dignity and feel that the best way of doing that is to become contributors to this society. Continue reading “Immigration Bill: Bishop of Durham supports right to work for asylum seekers”
On the 9th of March the House of Commons debated the Government’s Enterprise Bill at its Report Stage. Debate focused on proposals to allow Local Authorities in England Wales to deregulate Sunday Trading in their areas. Several amendments were tabled to the bill, including one from David Burrows MP to remove those clauses altogether.
The Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, Second Church Estates Commissioner, spoke in the debate and drew attention to a compromise amendment that she had tabled (though not in her capacity as a Church Commissioner). Her amendment was not voted on as the House accepted by 317 to 286 votes the amendment from David Burrowes to remove the clauses on Sunday trading from the bill.
Her speech in the debate is below and can also be watched here Continue reading “Enterprise Bill: House of Commons rejects Sunday trading plans”
On 8th March 2016 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, supported an amendment to clause 62 of the Bill, on social housing and the right to buy. The amendment, which was withdrawn after debate, sought to prevent right to buy applying to housing association properties in rural areas unless in exceptional cases.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I support Amendment 56, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Royall, to which I have added my name. I, along with other noble Lords, have received a number of letters from people living in rural areas who are deeply concerned at what seem the inevitable consequences if this issue is not addressed.
The major force of this amendment, as the noble Baroness pointed out, would be to change the emphasis in the current right-to-buy arrangement from one in which housing associations can choose to exempt themselves from exercising right to buy in rural areas, as per the current agreement, to one in which housing associations would be unable to exercise right to buy in rural areas, unless in exceptional cases, as set out in proposed new subsection (1A) of the amendment.
The rationale for the amendment is pretty simple. Affordable housing should not be sold off in communities where it will not be replaced. Continue reading “Housing and Planning Bill: Bishop of St Albans argues for rural housing association homes to be exempt from right to buy plans”
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