On 23rd September 2025, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:
Churches: Listed Buildings
Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches are listed places of worship.
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The Archbishop of York spoke at the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 19th September 2025, pointing out the need for better palliative care in the UK and the risks of implementing this legislation:
The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins. I will of course speak for myself, but I also know that I represent views held by many faith leaders—not just Christian leaders—across our nation, with whom I have been in discussion and who have written to me.
Jesus teaches us that how we live our lives in relationship to others is vital for the health of our society and our own personal well-being. We belong with and for each other. The Bill is wrong because it ruptures relationships, serving one need but creating many others.
The noble Lord, Lord Baker, and several others in this important and moving debate gave the game away early on: no Government, he said, will be prepared to provide palliative and social care in the way it is needed, thus revealing that the Bill’s impact will be economic as well as social. Several speakers said there were too many safeguards; others, that provision for assisted dying ought to be expanded.
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The Bishop of Chichester spoke at the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 19th September 2025, stressing the principle of the sanctity of life and questioning the ethical foundations of the bill:
The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Curry. I begin by acknowledging reverence for all contributors to this debate, which touches on our deepest emotions: lacrimae rerum, the things of which tears are made.
The noble Lord, Lord Carlile of Berriew, reminded us that, since the end of capital punishment, causing the death of another citizen is not allowed in our law, other than in war. The noble Lord, Lord Herbert of South Downs, was not alone in describing the introduction of a provision in law to cause death as a “crossing the Rubicon” moment. Although the right to life, enshrined in law, is a moral principle consistent with the Christian faith, it should not be regarded as the imposition of Christianity on the pluralist democracy we are proud to be. However, many Christians, including myself, see the Bill as crossing the Rubicon, and this is why.
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The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 19th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Rural England’s State of Rural Services 2025 report and what steps they are taking to improve access to services in rural areas.
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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.
Continue reading “Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford supports amendments on bullying and children with imprisoned parents”
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 Church of England in Parliament 
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