The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 19th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report Drowning in debt, published by Christians Against Poverty in July, and in particular its findings on the impact of debt cases and associated mental ill-health on social mobility.
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The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on the opportunity for the House to debate the implications of whole genome-sequencing on 18th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: When will the House have the opportunity to debate this policy for whole-genome sequencing with all its details, given that it has such weighty and far-reaching implications for healthcare, prevention and a number of ethical issues, as we have already heard?
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about potential debate on implications of whole-genome sequencing of infants”
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 18th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in favour of two amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 16th September 2025, first on introducing a duty on schools to record incidences of racism or interfaith bullying, and secondly on the commissioning of a report on improving educational attainment for children with a parent in prison:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I speak in support of Amendment 464 knowing that, had my right reverend friend the Bishop of Lincoln been in his place, he would very much have wanted to contribute to the debate. If passed, this amendment would introduce a duty on schools to record and report any incidents of racism or faith-based bullying on school premises.
It would also help diocesan boards of education in collating and monitoring such cases and better assisting those church schools which might benefit from support.
In preparing for this speech, I spoke to our own director of education in Chelmsford diocese, whose team oversees 139 church schools. She told me that this proposed amendment had the potential to help the board of education strengthen anti-bullying and inclusive practices in partnership with schools.
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The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question on the effect of the pause in family reunion asylum applications on the level of channel crossings by migrants on 16th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, Home Office analysis of the factors that influence where people claim asylum highlights that the presence of family exerts a particularly strong effect on decisions on the ultimate country of destination. Given this finding, what assessment have the Government made of how the pause in family reunion applications might impact the level of channel crossings?
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The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 16th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote and support vocational development and training between United Kingdom further education institutions and their equivalents overseas.
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The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 16th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government whether they are considering using the underspend in the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to lift the cap on individual claims in the second half of the 2025–26 financial year.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 15th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to consult charities, faith groups, and frontline support services to deliver a more sustainable approach for procuring short-term accommodation for asylum seekers in line with the recommendations on the procurement of short term accommodation set out in the Office for Value for Money’s policy paper UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about engagement with charities and faith groups in procuring asylum accommodation”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 15th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the impact of the droughts declared by the Environment Agency, with particular reference to South Yorkshire.
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The Bishop of Newcastle spoke at the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 12th September 2025, touching on her experience of the assisted dying debate in New Zealand and flaws in this legislation:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, this is not the first country in which I have lived and worked during such a debate as this. I was a Bishop in New Zealand ahead of the referendum on a similar Bill there five years ago. I witnessed the arguments, heard the reassurances and have since followed its implementation, including the pressures on healthcare professionals and the unforeseen consequences from a lack of clarity around process.
Only recently, New Zealand published its five-year review of the Act, highlighting significant practical challenges, concluding that the review committee is ineffective as an oversight body and recommending reforms. Five years on from the passing of a Bill much like the one before us, it would be irresponsible not to take its findings seriously. Most strikingly, the report highlights confused principles for the service and even recommends that the New Zealand Government establish specific principles to underpin the Act. This is no small matter—to be five years into providing the service without clarity on the principles on which it was built. For legislation where the consequences of poor drafting are so high, it is alarming that such principles were not defined from the outset. Yet, almost a year into the passage of this Private Member’s Bill, we are still discussing core concepts, without sufficient detail on how a state-sponsored suicide service would be implemented. That should trouble us all.
Continue reading “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Newcastle supports further scrutiny of bill”
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