Speeches – Page 33 – The Church of England in Parliament

Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Bishop of Southwark supports amendments on rule of law

On 12th February 2024, the House of Lords debated the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in committee. The Bishop of Southwark spoke in support of an amendment to the bill tabled by Baroness Chakrabarti which would ‘add the purpose of compliance with the rule of law to that of deterrence,’ pointing out the dissonance between the bill’s intention of replacing the Supreme Court’s judgement on the safety of Rwanda and the actual situation in the country for vulnerable asylum seekers sent there:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I support Amendment 1, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Hale of Richmond, and the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Amendments 2, 5 and 34, tabled by the same noble Lords and the noble Viscount, Lord Hailsham. I also offer supportive comments on Amendment 7 to Clause 1, tabled by the noble Viscount, the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, and the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Manchester. The most reverend Primate is present but cannot attend the entirety of this debate and the right reverend Prelate cannot be with us this afternoon.

It will be a very slight augmentation of the wisdom of this House to know that we on these Benches do not favour the outsourcing of asylum claims to other countries or territories—which is rather different from what the noble Lord, Lord Howard, was saying about the outsourcing of power. We recognise, however, that the courts have deemed this lawful in certain circumstances and that we have a Bill from the other place which is designed to deal with a particular designation that the Supreme Court deemed to fall outside our obligations under the law.

Bishop of Norwich asks about Communion Forest initiative

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 12th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Communion Forest, an initiative comprising local activities of tree growing and ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration undertaken by parishes, dioceses and provinces across the Anglican Communion.

Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill: Bishop of Guildford expresses concerns regarding effects on freedom of religion

On 9th February 2024, the Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate on the Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill, supporting the intention of the bill whilst noting concern that the wide scope of the bill would have an impact on religious freedoms:

The Lord Bishop of Guildford: My Lords, the use of coercion to seek to alter the sexuality or gender identity of another person, whether medical, psychological, spiritual or otherwise, is clearly an abhorrent abuse of power. If there is a gap in the law at this point—I leave that question to those who are more expert in the law than I am—it needs to be filled. The Church of England has given serious thought to coercion in recent years, as we have become more aware of the dangers of controlling and bullying leadership styles and the toxic cultures that they can engender. In that sense, I welcome at least part of the intention of this Bill—to protect vulnerable LGBT adults and young people from such potentially abusive and harmful environments and behaviours.

However, I share with many others across this Chamber a sense of deep alarm at the almost unlimited reach of the Bill as drafted, in which no attention is given to questions of consent, harm, vulnerability or the use and abuse of power. Instead, it appears to introduce blanket bans on certain ways of behaving, even certain ways of thinking, within the workplace, school, church, mosque and even the family. At the very least, it creates a culture of fear across the board—a kind of chill factor, especially for those who may not be fully signed up to the current societal orthodoxies.

Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill: Bishop of Bristol welcomes legislation whilst calling for greater clarity

The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill, (a private members bill brought by Baroness Burt of Solihull to ban the practice of conversion therapy for LBGT+ people) on 9th February 2024, supporting the bill and stressing the need to continue to work to protect LGBT+ people from harm, and expressing a desire for greater clarity in some parts of the legislation:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I begin by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Burt, for her Bill. I am grateful to the noble Baroness for engaging with the complexity of drafting legislation to prevent conversation therapy or practices, given the variety of views there clearly are in this Chamber and in wider society. I declare my interests: until December, I was one of the bishops leading on safeguarding in the Church of England and I am still co-chair of the APPG on Safeguarding in Faith Communities.

I have been aware for many years in pastoral ministry of some horrific practices, from physical punishment, counselling and prayer techniques akin to interrogation to, at worst, supposedly curative rape. Such practices are used against those in faith communities who are regarded as deviating from the communities’ norms for sexuality and gender identity. These more or less hidden practices must be prevented by statutory provision if they are not already. We should note too that those who are victims should be much better supported. I am also aware of the much more subtle impact on LGBTIQ people of faith—the pressure on them to conform to the norms set by the hierarchy of their faith community. The cultures which pervade many faith communities render those exploring their identity very vulnerable indeed to abuse, as the IICSA report reminded us.

Bishop of Bristol highlights negative impact of lack of digital access for children

On 8th February 2024, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on a report from the Communications and Digital Committee on digital exclusion, emphasising the impact of lack of digital access on children:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Lipsey, whose speech imaginatively took us into the life and world of Joe Soap. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Stowell, on securing this timely debate—timely in one sense—and I offer my thanks to all members of the Communications and Digital Committee for a thorough and wide-ranging report. I also lament the lack of a government cross-departmental strategy.

Today, I focus my comments on digital inclusion and exclusion in and around schools, about which I have a little knowledge. In 2021, UNICEF produced an excellent report on the effect of digital exclusion on schoolchildren. That report said that

“digital inclusion must be seen as the cornerstone to ensuring social justice and equitable life chances for every child”.

Those words were written while the pandemic was at its peak and the long-term impact on education was still difficult to predict.

Bishop of Bristol expresses strong concern over conflict in Gaza and calls for political leaders to work for peace

The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the current humanitarian situation in Gaza on 8th February 2024, expressing concern about the rejection of a proposed ceasefire and the impact of total war on civilians:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for securing this debate. Today the future seems bleak after Prime Minister Netanyahu, perhaps understandably, rejected a ceasefire because, as reported, total victory may be achieved in months. In my city of Bristol, women from Jewish and Muslim communities stand silently together in public vigil, and those of all faiths and none march each week campaigning for a cessation of violence on all sides.

Total victory within months—what does that mean for the hostages held in tunnels, for the women who are pregnant without medical support, for babies whose mothers have no breast milk? What we see is a horrible inversion of the word of the prophet Joel: the dreams of old men are shattered and the visions of young men are betrayed. The hopes of so many Jews, Muslims and Christians are destroyed. May God and our political leaders have mercy, source aid and work unrelentingly for peace.

Hansard

Bishop of Norwich calls for resourcing of medics and hospitals to address humanitarian situation in Gaza

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on the situation in Gaza on 8th February 2024, asking that the government give greater support to medics in Gaza and Israel to facilitate resupplying of hospitals in order to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I visited Gaza on 4 October, just three days before Hamas’s evil attacks, to see the Anglican-run 80-bed al-Ahli hospital. The World Health Organization reported on Tuesday that there are 150 patients there—all are critically ill. Everyone is fearful, stressed and exhausted. Medical staff have been detained, shackled and blindfolded by the IDF, and, on release, they are deposited in Rafah and not allowed to return to the hospital. There is an urgent need for medical staff, fuel, food and critical medical supplies, such as bone stabilisers, antibiotics and anaesthetics, across Gaza’s hospitals. Will His Majesty’s Government hear the cries of medics in Gaza and press the State of Israel for the WHO to have sustained access to resupply hospitals across the Gaza Strip so that they can continue to function?

Hansard

Bishop of Bristol speaks in debate on workers and employment

The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on a report from the Economic Affairs Committee on workers on 8th February 2024, emphasising the value of meaningful work and drawing attention to the findings of the Archbishops Commission on Families & Households:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak in this important debate about the nature of the UK workforce in a challenging economic climate. I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Bridges, as have others, and all the members of the Economic Affairs Committee who worked to produce this report and have stimulated our thinking today.

On a personal note, having recently found it hard to recruit lay staff to my office in Bristol, I am very grateful for being informed by the report we are debating today. At the heart of my diocese, you can find the New Room, the chapel where John Wesley led the first Methodist congregation from 1739. As part of his pioneering ministry, he offered “Rules of a Helper” to ordained Ministers, the first of which is:

“Never be unemployed a moment, never be triflingly employed, never while away time”.

While the word “unemployed” might have pricked the ears of your Lordships in the context of this debate, the final clause may be the significant one here. In effect, we are reminded about the importance of using our time on earth well. There is work to be done, good news to share and disciples to be made. Wesley was on to something. There is great purpose and fulfilment to be found in using our time well, maximising our skills and ensuring we fulfil our potential. It enriches our lives and the lives of our community, and that is central to my remarks today.

Victims and Prisoners Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendments focused on protecting migrant victims of crime

The Bishop of Bristol, on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester and the Bishop of London, spoke in support of two amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill on 5th February 2024, one aimed at improving conditions for migrant victims of domestic violence, and another on ensuring that data on victims of crime not be shared with immigration enforcement authorities:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I rise to speak on behalf of two of my colleagues who have supported amendments in this group. My right reverend friend the Bishop of Gloucester regrets that she cannot be in her place to add her voice in support of Amendment 80, which concerns a cause on which she has long been an advocate. She tabled an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill, with cross-party support in 2021. Advocates have campaigned for 30 years to improve conditions for migrant women who have no recourse to public funds and who are victims of domestic abuse. While there has been some progress, including the introduction of the domestic violence indefinite leave to remain rule and the destitution domestic violence concession, there is still much more to be done to make sure that victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds, or who are undocumented, are eligible for those schemes. Victims face an impossible choice: domestic abuse or deportation and destitution. Many are unable even to enter a women’s refuge; they cannot pay their rent or living costs as they are not eligible for housing or other social security benefits.

Victims and Prisoners Bill: Bishop of Manchester tables amendments to bolster victim support organisations

On 5th February 2024, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Prisoners Bill in Committee. The Bishop of Manchester spoke on two amendments he had tabled, aimed at enabling increased collaboration between statutory and community bodies in the victim support sector:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I rise to speak to Amendments 56 and 59 in my name; I also support the other amendments in this group. These amendments would all help to firm up the very good intentions set out in Clauses 12 and 13.

In an earlier group, I tabled an amendment to ensure that victim support services were properly signposted; it is no use a service existing if the people it is meant to serve are not able to access it. But now we come to, if anything, a more fundamental point: how do we ensure that the right services exist for victims, and in each and every part of the country?

The Bill as drafted gets much right: it requires policing bodies, integrated care boards and local authorities to collaborate in assessing the needs of victims, producing a published strategy and, indeed, revising that strategy as occasion requires—so far, so good. But, as things stand, and as the noble Lord, Lord Russell of Liverpool, has indicated, that assessment and strategy could be little more than a combination of the unaffordable and the non-existent—a bit like an overambitious child’s Christmas wish list.

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