Category: Speeches

Speeches delivered in debates in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of Peterborough speaks on our duty to help the persecuted and dispossessed

 

“Welcoming the persecuted and the dispossessed is a duty for civilised nations—I would argue that it is a Christian duty—and in the long term it is good for the host nation, as well as for those fleeing for their lives” – Bishop of Peterborough, 22/7/15

14.02 PeterboroughOn the 22nd July 2015 the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, spoke in a debate on the relocation of  Mediterranean migrants within the EU. The Bishop spoke of our duty as a nation to help the persecuted and dispossessed, alongside addressing the root causes through aid, diplomacy and other appropriate means.

 

The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, like other speakers, I am grateful for this debate and particularly grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Prashar, and her colleagues for this excellent, moving and powerful report.

Of course, there are no easy answers to this dilemma, and I do not pretend that there are. I fully accept that any further help that we offer these poor disrupted people should be on a voluntary basis.Generosity and hospitality are important but cannot be mandated. On the other hand, as relatively wealthy members of the family of nations and of the European Union, we have a duty to help the persecuted and dispossessed, and to offer support to poorer European partners who find themselves under severe pressure. I stress that this is not easy. Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough speaks on our duty to help the persecuted and dispossessed”

Bishop of Peterborough welcomes Budget announcement on National Living Wage

14.02 PeterboroughOn the 21st July 2015 the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, spoke during the debate on the Budget Statement. The Bishop welcomed the new National Living Wage and asked for greater transitional support for employers and employees, as well as careful attention to phasing in the reduction in tax credits.

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Bishop of Birmingham responds to the Budget

“The test of the success of this and future Budgets for a country living within its means will be the growing number of households that are equipped and completely free to earn the means to live.” Bishop of Birmingham 21/07/15

01.04.14 Bishop of BirminghamOn the 21st July 2015 the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Revd David Urquhart, responded to the  Budget Statement, during a debate in the House of Lords. The Bishop called for an inclusive capitalism and questioned Lord O’Neill the Commercial Secretary for the Treasury about the impact of the changes to working age benefits. The Bishop also spoke about the need to improve productivity via energising the local economy alongside investing in infrastructure, skills, training and apprenticeships.

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Bishop of Leicester makes final speech in the Lords – religious freedom

On 16th July 2015 the House of Lords debated a motion by Lord Alton of Liverpool, “that this House takes note of worldwide violations of Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the case for greater priority to be given by the United Kingdom and the international community to upholding freedom of religion and belief.” During the debate the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Revd Tim Stevens, gave his final speech before his retirement. A video of his speech can also be viewed here. Extracts from the speeches of other members taking part in the debate, paying tribute to the Bishop of Leicester, are also included below.

LeicesterThe Lord Bishop of Leicester (Valedictory Speech): My Lords, I want to add my thanks to that of so many others to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this matter before us, not least as it provides me with an opportunity to make a final speech to your Lordships’ House on a matter of such overwhelming importance. Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester makes final speech in the Lords – religious freedom”

Archbishop of Canterbury on freedom of religion and belief

“Where a state claims the ultimate right to oppress religious freedom, it stops the last and the strongest barrier against tyranny.” – Archbishop of Canterbury, 16/7/15

On 16th July 2015 the House of Lords debated a motion by Lord Alton of Liverpool, “that this House takes note of worldwide violations of Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the case for greater priority to be given by the United Kingdom and the international community to upholding freedom of religion and belief.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, spoke in the debate. A video of his speech can also be viewed here.

ABC Lords 160715 bThe Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak in the debate and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing it and for all the work he has undertaken in this area over many years. I associate myself very closely with what he said in his very eloquent opening speech and also with the speeches of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay, and the noble Lord, Lord McFall. I also pay tribute to the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leicester. He will be much missed by this House and I will miss him enormously for the wise advice he has given me on numerous occasions.

We have already heard many examples of the horrific situations around the world where people are persecuted for their religion or for their absence of religion. I witnessed such persecution in its rawest form many times during my visits in 2013 and 2014 to the 37 other provinces of the Anglican communion. Almost half of these provinces are living under persecution; they fear for their lives every day.

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Bishop of St Albans leads House of Lords debate on sustainability of rural communities

On 16th July 2015 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt revd Alan Smith, led Peers in a question for short debate “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure the sustainability of rural communities, in the light of the additional costs and challenges of service provision in rural areas.” His speech opening the debate is below. The full debate can be read here.

Rural Communities

Question for Short Debate

Bishop St Albans June 2015The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am very grateful to all those who are going to contribute to this debate, which is an opportunity to highlight the importance of sustainable rural communities to the life of this country and to consider the challenges that exist in providing the services needed to support those communities so that they can continue to be engaging and vibrant places to live and work. Many definitions of vibrancy can, and indeed have been, applied to rural communities. Previously, these definitions have focused on the services available in the community—for example, a shop, a post office or a school. But in the final analysis it is the people who count and who make a rural community, indeed any community, what it is. A rural community becomes sustainable when people care about its future and have an opportunity to engage in that future, shaping it themselves for the common good. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans leads House of Lords debate on sustainability of rural communities”

Shared British values – speech by Bishop of Derby

On 16th July 2015 the Bishop of Derby, Rt Revd Alistair Redfern, spoke in a debate tabled by the former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Harries of Pentregarth “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy towards promoting the shared values that underpin British public life.”

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I thank the noble and right reverend Lord,Bishop of Derby Lord Harries, for securing this debate. I suggest that shared values might be a dangerous focus and something of a displacement activity. Values are changing and are often vague. The Prime Minister wants to uphold freedom, toleration and the rule of law. My wife Caroline receives lots of information from Johnnie Boden about clothing and, this week, an email came with his values for being British: to be rebellious, daring and timeless. The point is that it is a shifting landscape, which can open up a lot of confusion and miscommunication. Continue reading “Shared British values – speech by Bishop of Derby”

Bishop of Norwich speaks in support of the BBC

“The BBC has plenty of the faults to be found in all large institutions, including government departments. It has a capacity to waste money on IT projects, but no more so than successive Governments. It can be complacent and bureaucratic, but so can the Church of England and the trade unions. What seems to irritate its opponents is its very success.” – Bishop of Norwich, 14/7/15

14.06.12 Bishop of Norwich

On 14th July 2015 the House of Lords debated the future of the BBC. The Bishop of Norwich, Rt Revd Graham James, a former member of the House of Lords Communications Committee, spoke supportively of the BBC, including its integral role in promoting British values. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, it seems odd that a Government so keen to promote British values in our schools appear intent on reducing the capacity of a world-renowned British institution. The BBC is increasingly referred to as though it were part of the public sector. It is not. It is an organisation financed not from the public purse but by those who use it. The fact that many of them are also taxpayers is no more relevant than the fact that those who pay their energy bills are also taxpayers. Perhaps the winter fuel allowance will now be transferred to the energy companies. The logic seems impeccable given the precedent established last week.

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Bishop of Portsmouth argues for delay to plan to extend waiting period for universal credit payments

On 13th July 2015 the House of Lords debated Government proposals to introduce seven waiting days for applicants for universal credit, prior to receipt of payment. Two motions were put to the House – the first, from Lord German, to exempt the housing element of universal credit from that; the second, from Baroness Sherlock, to delay enactment until universal credit had been fully rolled out. The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, spoke in support of Baroness Sherlock’s amendment and voted for it in the subsequent Division of the House. Baroness Sherlock’s amendment was passed by 135 to 124 votes. The Bishop’s speech and an extract of the Minister’s response is below:

14.04.09 Portsmouth maiden speech 2My Lords, I and others from these Benches have welcomed the principle of universal credit, and I readily do so again. However, the best of policies and principles have practical consequences which make all the difference to the effectiveness of policy. In that constructive spirit, wishing universal credit to be successful in simplifying the complexity faced by benefit claimants and confirming the dignity of work at a decent rate of pay, I add some reservations to the extension of waiting time to seven days. Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth argues for delay to plan to extend waiting period for universal credit payments”

Divisions – Universal Credit (Waiting Days) (Amendment) Regulations 2015

On the 13th July 2015, the Bishop of Portsmouth took part in a division on the Universal Credit (Waiting Days) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

He voted ‘Content’ to the motion put by Baroness Sherlock, which was agreed following a division of the House. You can read his speech on the amendment, here.

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