Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 25th March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Chester asked a question on encouraging young people to enter the nursing and social care fields on 24th March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, like other noble Peers, I warmly welcome this Statement. I notice an emphasis on technical skills in the Written Statement and the Statement the Minister has made. I declare an interest: I have been married to somebody who has been a professional social worker all her life. I am interested in what we are doing to encourage young people into the caring professions, be that youth work, nursing, educative support, or social care, because it seems to me that this serves not only their good but also the good of our society.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks about careers in nursing and social care”
The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 24th March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the National Centre for Social Research evaluation of the pilot move on period for newly recognised refugees to leave asylum accommodation.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about changes to refugee status and housing”
The Bishop of Oxford asked a question on high energy costs in response to a government statement on the UK steel industry on 23rd March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, for seven years I was privileged to be the Bishop of Sheffield, and I am familiar with the complex ecology of south Yorkshire, articulated by the noble Lord, Lord Fox. For those seven years, each year I was the guest of the Cutlers Company, who would invite a Minister, always from London and normally the Chancellor. In those years it was the coalition and Conservative Governments. The script followed by the speakers from the Cutlers Company, who did not mince their words, was always the same. It was about the neglect of the manufacturing industry by government and, in particular, high energy costs. This seems to me to be the key to the next chapter in this strategy.
Continue reading “Bishop of Oxford asks about UK Steel Industry”
The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 23rd March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government:
During a debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 20th March 2026, the Bishop of Newcastle spoke in support of amendments to the bill aimed at providing protection to those vulnerable to coercion:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I am grateful to my right reverend friend the Bishop of Southwark for preparing the way for some of the comments that I wish to make briefly now. Broadly, this group seeks to address issues around communication, language barriers and interpreters and I support the amendments laid before your Lordships’ House in that regard.
Continue reading “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Newcastle speaks on issue of coercion”On 20th March 2026, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Church of England: Ground Rent and Leasehold
Sir James Cleverly MP (Con, Braintree): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church of England had made representations to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on (a) restrictions on ground rents and (b) leasehold reform in the last year.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Ground Rent and Leasehold, Council Tax”
On 19th March 2026, the Bishop of Hereford spoke in support of an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill tabled by Baroness Noakes on allowing Master Trusts which deliver good investment performance to be excluded from the scale requirements of the bill, raising the example of faith-based funds:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I speak in favour of Amendment 55, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes. There is a questionable theory of change in the Bill—that bigger pension schemes are necessarily better, suggesting the minimum scale of £25 billion. While scale certainly creates advantages, Australian experience suggests that funds can be run at less than this size and still provide value and good outcomes for members. However, concentrating the market into a few megafunds introduces a new system of risk, of schemes that become too big to fail and so are effectively the state’s problem.
Continue reading “Pension Schemes Bill: Bishop of Hereford supports amendments on trust management”
On 19th March 2026, the Bishop of Chelmsford tabled a question on refugee movements following Israeli military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of refugee movements following Israeli military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about impact of conflict in the Middle East on refugee movements”
The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the cost to business and trade caused by flooding affecting railway lines in the East Midlands on 19th March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, in light of the repeated flooding of key routes operated by East Midlands Railway in the area that I serve, particularly the Erewash flood plain near Ilkeston, as well as the Trent Valley, what assessment have the Government made of the cost effect on businesses from loss of trade and overall productivity, and the wider social costs that arise, when railways are not functioning properly due to persistent flooding?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about disruption of railway lines”
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