On 2nd July 2018 Lord Cameron of Dillington moved that ‘this House takes note of the Report from the Select Committee on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 “The countryside at a crossroads: Is the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 still fit for purpose?” The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, spoke in the debate:
The Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. I also express my gratitude to the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, and his Select Committee for their excellent and timely report, The Countryside at a Crossroads. Not surprisingly, many of the points that I wanted to make have already been made, so I will cut out a number of things. I will not detain your Lordships for too long but will just underline one or two points. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans responds to report on Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act”
The Lord Bishop of London (Maiden Speech): My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their warm welcome and am grateful for the practical support I have received from the officers and staff. I am humbled by the knowledge and wisdom represented in your Lordships’ House and I am very conscious that it is a privilege to be a Member. It is a responsibility that I will take seriously. 
On 28th June 2018 Lord Alton of Liverpool led a debate in the House of Lords, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the continuing violence between communities and armed groups in Nigeria”. The Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Scriven, for securing this debate. I also extend my thanks to the inspectors for their helpful report. While I am about it, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, for his kind words.
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, in this immensely complex situation, I want to comment on three historic issues which affect contemporary circumstances. The first was what I will call a reaction of the indigenous Palestinian people 70 years ago not to accept the decision of the United Nations to support the establishment of a mainly Jewish state and a separate Palestinian state—we must remember that that was part of the 1947 resolution. It may be that it will not work, as the noble Lord, Lord Hain, said; it may not have been endorsed later, as the noble Lord, Lord Hylton, said, but that was the original plan, and not a later plan, to sort things out. 
On the 10th May 2018 the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith spoke in Baroness Anelay’s debate about recent developments in Myanmar. Bishop Alan spoke about the continued hostilities against minority communities in Myanmar and highlighted the importance of reconciliation work with young people to create a mutual commitment to peace and the cessation of violence. Lord Ahmad responded to the debate for the Government and his comments can be seen below.
On the 10th May 2018 the Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster spoke in a debate hosted by Lord Faulkner of Worcester about the Scrap Metal Dealers Act. Bishop Peter welcomed the act and the reduction of thefts but highlighted the need to tighten up the act and questioned whether sentencing of criminals of metal theft truly reflected the impact and scale of this particular type of theft to the historic building and the local community. Baroness Williams responded for the Government, her remarks can be found below.
On 30th April the EU (Withdrawal) Bill entered its fourth day of Report Stage. The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, spoke on Baroness Massey’s amendment to support children, and Viscount Hailsham’s amendment to give MPs and Peers a meaningful say in the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. His speeches are below:
The Church of England in Parliament 
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