On 15th July 2025, the House of Lords debated the Renters Rights Bill. Votes were held on an amendment to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Votes: Renters Rights Bill
Renters Rights Bill: Bishop of Manchester moves amendment on Decent Homes Standard
On 15th July 2025, the Bishop of Manchester moved his amendment 105 to the Renters Rights Bill, and spoke in support of two further amendments:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: 105: Clause 101, page 134, line 11, leave out from “(homelessness)” to end of line 13
Member’s explanatory statement: This amendment would make the Decent homes standard apply to all homeless temporary accommodation provided under the Housing Act 1996.
My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. My wife and I own one apartment; it is in the West Midlands, and it is let out. Nothing in this amendment or any others in this group would provide me with any advantage that I can foresee.
Amendment 105 seeks to extend the decent homes standard to temporary accommodation. As I said in Committee—and hence I can be extremely brief today—those in temporary accommodation are among the most vulnerable in our society. They are already battling against major disadvantages, and being placed in properties that fail the standard simply adds to their burden.
Continue reading “Renters Rights Bill: Bishop of Manchester moves amendment on Decent Homes Standard”Bishop of Gloucester asks about conflict in Gaza and two-state solution
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 15th July 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:
- what assessment they have made of the attacks by Israel on the Al Ahli Hospital on 13 April and 5 June.
- what assessment they have made of whether Palestinian armed groups are using hospitals and medical centres to shelter from attack.
- whether they will advocate for an independent and thorough investigation of all Israeli attacks on hospitals, healthcare infrastructure and medical personnel in Gaza, and the alleged misuse of those facilities.
Votes: Employment Rights Bill
On 14th July 2025, the House of Lords debated the Employment Rights Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Bishop of Manchester asks about equity in the courts
The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on equitable treatment of those from minority-ethnic backgrounds in the courts on14th July 2025, during a discussion on proposed restrictions on trial by jury:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, it was my privilege this lunchtime to be with a group of young legal students with very diverse backgrounds except that they had all been through the care system—a group of people who are more likely than anybody else to be charged and prosecuted for behaviours that others might be treated more favourably over. The same often applies to people from minority-ethnic backgrounds. Does the Minister agree that dealing with that disproportionality in how people are treated for the same behaviour by the legal system will be a good way to reduce some of the waiting lists of courts?
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about equity in the courts”Bishop of Gloucester asks about approaches to trade with Israeli settlements
The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 14th July 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what percentage of imports of goods and services into the UK from the Occupied Palestinian Territories originate from, or are linked to, activities related to settlements in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, (3) 2023, (4) 2024, and (5) 2025.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about approaches to trade with Israeli settlements”Bishop of St Albans asks about forced deportations of Rohingya refugees from India
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th July 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of India regarding the forced deportation of Rohingya refugees.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about forced deportations of Rohingya refugees from India”Bishop of Oxford asks about adoption and special guardianship schemes
The Bishop of Oxford received the following written answers on 1oth July 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford asked His Majesty’s Government:
- whether they will carry out an impact assessment of the adoption and special guardianship support fund changes; and if so, when they will publish that impact assessment.
- what plans they have to assess the impact of the adoption and special guardianship support fund changes on (1) adoptive and kinship placement disruption, and (2) adopter recruitment.
Votes: House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
On 9th July 2025, the House of Lords debated the Hereditary Peers Bill in report. Votes were held on an amendment to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Bishop of Oxford asks about ethical use of medical data
The Bishop of Oxford asked a question on the ethical questions around use of medical data and outsourcing of this data to private companies on 9th July 2025, following a government statement on the NHS 10-Year Plan:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I welcome the Minister to her place and, like others, send good wishes to the noble Baroness, Lady Merron.
I welcome very much, as others have done, the three aspirations in Fit for the Future. I think that they are significant and that they are the right ones. I think they are bold and visionary. However, while I welcome the move from analogue to digital, for me, the document raises significant questions. We are looking to build a National Health Service which cares for whole people, not machines. We need, therefore, to be concerned for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, at every stage of life, across the NHS. That demands continuous investment in people, including, of course, chaplains.
Continue reading “Bishop of Oxford asks about ethical use of medical data”
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