This week in the House of Lords the Bishop of Durham co-sponsored an amendment from Lord Dubs to the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill on family reunion for refugee children. He and two other bishops voted for the amendment, which passed but was subsequently overturned by MPs in the House of Commons. The Bishop of Birmingham also voted for a successful amendment on documentation for EU citizens with settled status, though this was also overturned by MPs.
The Bishop of Chelmsford commented on reports the Government were considering relocation of the House of Lords to York. The Bishop of St Albans received an answer from the Government to a question on fly-tipping, and the Bishop of Salisbury received answers to questions on plastic waste recycling and the trade in plastic waste. Continue reading “Week in Westminster 20th-24th January 2020”
This week in the House of Lords was an unusual one as it included the first Saturday sitting in 37 years. During the Saturday sitting the Bishop of Leeds responded to the statement from the Prime Minister about the new Brexit Deal. Other bishops spoke this week about the churches role in Health and Social Care in, about freedom of movement of EU and UK citizens and the current political situation in Hong Kong. Bishops also asked questions about the taxation of air-fuel, the ending of cash withdrawal by Barclays from the Post Office and received written answers to questions about the Indian Constitution and Kashmir and the Government’s plans for English language education.
This week in the House of Lords the Bishop of London spoke about modern slavery, knife crime, funding for refugees, and rural services. The Bishop of Winchester received written answers to questions about the Apprenticeship Levy and post-16 and adult education. On Tuesday evening Parliament was prorogued in advance of the Queen’s Speech. 