Elections Bill: Bishop of Coventry speaks about Voter ID

On 21st March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Elections Bill in committee. The Bishop of Coventry spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I offer your Lordships an apology for not being able to contribute to Committee for all sorts of reasons, but I said at Second Reading that I would support amendments that introduced mitigating factors to reduce the risk of unintended exclusion, particularly for that group of people the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, referred to: those on lower incomes. There is real risk that that could happen through this immediate introduction of photo ID.

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Elections Bill: Bishop of Leeds asks about Voter ID

On 21st March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Elections Bill in committee. The Bishop of Leeds asked a question regarding voter ID:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: What I am struggling to understand is this. There is a fundamental difference between belonging to an organisation—be it any political party—to which you opt to belong and for which you might be expected to provide ID, and being able to vote as a citizen of the country. Those are totally different things.

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Bishop of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich introduced

On Monday 21st March 2022 the Bishop of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Rt Revd Martin Seeley, was introduced to the House of Lords and took his seat on the Bishops Benches as a Lord Spiritual.

The Bishop of St. Edmundsbury & Ipswich in the Bishops’ Robing Room before the introduction, with one of his sponsors the Archbishop of York. Photo by Jess Reedy.



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Bishop of Leeds asks about prison release policies

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question regarding releases from prisons on 21st March 2022, during a debate on safe and secure housing for released female prisoners:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, Friday releases from prison, in particular, are hugely problematic. This is particularly the case for geographically dispersed women’s prisons, because women cannot travel home in time to make a housing application with their local authority before the office closes. Are the Government aware of this specific problem, and can they offer any solutions as to what can be done to overcome it?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about food and energy supply to the UK following the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 21st March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans further to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia, what plans they have to strengthen energy security in the UK.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about sale of ancient artefacts from Tigray, Ethiopia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to investigate the sale in the UK of ancient artefacts stolen from Ethiopia’s Tigray region as part of the ongoing conflict in that area.

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Church Commissioners Written Answers: Church Finance

Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP on 18th March 2022:

Ben Bradshaw MP (Lab): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Church of England’s report, entitled From Anecdote to Evidence, what planning assumptions have been made in dioceses where large parish structures are being implemented in relation to the consequent fall in congregation numbers and drop in giving.

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Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks in debate

On 18th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Refugees – Family Reunion Bill in its third reading. The Bishop of Durham spoke briefly on the issue of family separation before the bill was passed:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I regret not having been able to speak earlier. As noble Lords know, I spoke passionately on this issue on the Nationality and Borders Bill. I do not think that it is too late for the Government to think about reintroducing this into that Bill on Tuesday in the other place. I hope that they might do so.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham speaks in a debate on women’s equality

On 17th March 2022, the House of Lords debated a motion to take note regarding Protecting the Equality of Women in the UK and Internationally. The Bishop of Durham spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, it is my pleasure to speak in today’s debate and to follow the noble Lord, Lord Purvis of Tweed. Like him, I will begin by focusing on international issues. I did put the word around to see if any of my female colleagues were available, because they are more qualified to speak than me, but none of them were today so you have to put up with me. I am glad to have this opportunity.

First, there is much I want to celebrate. As part of my brief, I take special interest in two of the poorest nations on earth, Burundi and Lesotho—one of the others is South Sudan. These nations are making great progress on women’s equality. It has been my privilege to visit Lesotho a couple of times and Burundi very many times. I would like to share some examples.

This month, the Women’s Investment and Development Bank has been introduced in Burundi. This has been praised by the UN as a step towards women’s economic empowerment in that nation. The bank will grant low-interest loans to women’s collectives and their development projects, and will provide training on profitable business.

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Health and Care Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks about provision of at-home abortion

On 16th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health and Care Bill 2022. The Bishop of Durham spoke in opposition to an amendment tabled by Baroness Sugg that would maintain the option of at-home early medical abortion that had initially been permitted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, for her tireless work on gender equality and areas of international development. We have often been collaborators on such matters. I also apologise to the noble Baroness if she has personally received any hurtful comments on this; some of the things I have seen were shameful. She should not have been abused in this way. Nevertheless, I will oppose her amendment; I hope she understands that this in no way lessens the way in which I honour her for her work.

I declare at the outset that the Church of England’s position on abortion is principled opposition, with a recognition that there are strictly limited conditions under which it may be preferable to any available alternative. My opposition to the amendment is based on that in part but also because I believe that the amendment is functionally inadequate in providing the necessary protections. This was a temporary measure introduced during the pandemic to allow continued access to abortion services, simply to meet a need in extraordinary circumstances. I support the Government’s decision to return to the pre-pandemic system for early medical abortions from August, which was supported by many in the public consultation response.

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