Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Leicester asks about role of defence funding in combatting internal threats

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the need to protect citizens from internal as well as external threats during a discussion on defence funding on 17th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, the best causally identified route of the rise of populist parties and extremist groups in this country is poverty, alongside deindustrialisation, austerity and perceived community decline. Does the Minister agree that the duty of a Government to protect their citizens includes protecting them from internal threats as well as external ones?

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Bishop of Hereford asks about interest on government debt

The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the burden of debt interest payments to the future taxpayer during a discussion on government debt on 16th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, a recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research projects that debt interest payments will increase from the current 10% of revenue to 20% by 2075. The decisions that we take today about taxation and spending should be taken with regard to our moral obligations to the generation that follows us. What assessment have the Government made of the extent to which today’s debt interest payments transfer the burden of current spending to future generations of taxpayers?

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Bishop of Leicester asks about voluntary work

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answers on 16th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of volunteering for work-readiness.

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Bishop of Winchester asks about disability rights protection

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 16th September 2026:

The Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government when the guidance on the Down Syndrome Act 2022 will be published; and what steps they have taken to protect the legal rights of those with Down syndrome until the publication of the guidance.

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Votes: Financial Services and Markets Bill

On 15th September 2026, the House of Lords debated the Financial Services and Markets Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part.

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Bishop of Hereford asks about sustainability of rural economies

The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the sustainability of rural economies during a discussion on the government’s home building target on 15th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, many villages are increasingly unable to retain young families, agricultural workers and other key members of the rural workforce because of a shortage of affordable homes. As the Government pursue their housebuilding target, how will they ensure that rural communities remain sustainable local economies, rather than becoming places local people are priced out of?

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about impact of changes to VAT on church buildings

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 15th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made on the impact of changing the recoverability of VAT on the repair and reuse of heritage buildings, including churches, and in particular the viability of converting heritage buildings to appropriate housing.

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about impact of draft immigration legislation on children’s rights

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 15th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 28 July (HL2268), what is the anticipated timeline for the publication of a standalone bill level Child’s Rights Impact Assessment analysing the impact of measures in the draft Immigration and Asylum Bill against the UN Convention on Rights of a Child.

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about water regulation

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 11th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 30 June (HL1196), what steps they are taking to encourage citizen science and public observations of real-time environmental changes to monitor water management and flood risk.

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about support for internally displaced people

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 11th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 7 July (HL1510), what steps they are taking to collaborate with faith-based international partners to help civilians who have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and disaster.

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