Bishop of London asks about increased funding for public health nursing

The Bishop of London asked a question on whether the government would increase funding for public health nurses in communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, during my time as the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England I witnessed the unique value of public health nurses in the community. The pandemic has further highlighted the importance of such roles and the significance of a whole-system approach. Given this, will Her Majesty’s Government consider increasing funding specifically to build up or rebuild the capacity of public health nurses to tackle localised health inequalities?

Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about increased funding for public health nursing”

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendments on bail for primary carers of children

On 1st November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in the debate, in support of her amendment 110 and other amendments which would require courts to consider the impact of not granting bail on a child when the recipient of a bail decision is a primary carer to that child:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am pleased to move this amendment, which has the support of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, and the noble Baroness, Lady Massey. I am grateful for the knowledge and wisdom they will bring to the debate. I declare an interest as Anglican Bishop for Her Majesty’s Prisons in England and Wales and president of the Nelson Trust.

The sentencing of a primary carer can have a serious detrimental impact on the rights of a child and their life chances, yet the fact that they are a primary carer is not consistently considered by the court making the sentencing decision. Amendment 110 would require judges to consider the impact on a child of the decision of not granting bail when determining in criminal proceedings whether to grant bail to a primary carer of that dependent child. Amendments 215 to 217 aim to address inconsistencies in sentencing by requiring judges and magistrates to give due regard to the impact of a sentence on any dependent children and their welfare when sentencing a primary carer. The intention of Amendment 218 is to gather the relevant data about the number of prisoners who are primary carers and the number of children who have a primary carer in custody. Given that there are five amendments here, I hope noble Lords will bear with me.

Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendments on bail for primary carers of children”

Bishop of St Albans asks about security of the UK fishing industry

On 1st November 2021, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on government efforts to reassure UK fishing industry following the seizure of a fishing vessel by the French authorities:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reassure the UK fishing industry following the seizure of a UK vessel by the French authorities.

Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): My Lords, I cannot comment on the specifics of this case, given that legal proceedings are under way. More broadly, however, we are disappointed at the French Government’s recent actions, culminating in threats that were issued on Wednesday. We have raised our concerns with the French Government and the Commission. The Government have been clear that, if these actions were to be taken, they would put the EU in breach of the TCA. Our approach to licensing has been reasonable and fully in line with the TCA.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about security of the UK fishing industry”

Bishop of Chelmsford introduced

On 1st November 2021, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani was introduced to the House of Lords and took her seat on the Bishops Benches as a Lord Spiritual.

Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford introduced”

Bishop of St Albans asks about results of the United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked what assessment they have made of the Forces in Mind Trust report The United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study, published on 23 September.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about results of the United Kingdom Armed Forces Veterans’ Health and Gambling Study”

Bishop of Durham asks about cases of COVID-19 among asylum seekers at Napier Barracks

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 1st November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of COVID-19 there have been at Napier Barracks since April.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): Twelve people have tested positive for coronavirus whilst accommodated at Napier Barracks since April 2021.

Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about cases of COVID-19 among asylum seekers at Napier Barracks”

Bishop of Bristol asks about progress of schemes to protect leaseholders affected by defective cladding

The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the progress of a low interest pilot scheme for leaseholders in buildings with defective cladding during a debate on building safety on 28th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: Can the Minister update the House on the progress of the capped low-interest scheme for buildings with defective cladding under 18 metres? Can he clarify whether a pilot scheme will, as previously hoped, be functional by the end of the year?

Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about progress of schemes to protect leaseholders affected by defective cladding”

Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendment to limit data extraction powers of immigration officers

On 27th October 2021, during a committee debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Bishop of Bristol spoke in support of an amendment tabled by Lord Rosser which would seek to remove immigration officers from lists of people authorised to carry out data extraction from personal devices:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, some common themes are emerging. I rise in support of Amendment 107, which was tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and to which I have added my name, alongside that of the noble Baroness, Lady Jones.

The inclusion in this Bill of immigration officers among those authorised to undertake digital extractions strikes me as extremely troubling, particularly in the absence of significantly more detail on the safeguards, including the meaning of “agreement” and the specificity of the data sought, and the relevant training and expertise of these officers. Voluntary provision and agreement to extract data must surely rely on a level of informed consent. If it is not, then “voluntary” and “agreement” are just empty words.

Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendment to limit data extraction powers of immigration officers”

Bishop of Bristol speaks on importance of maintaining overseas aid

The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the Overseas Development Aid Budget on 27th October 2021, emphasising the importance of overseas aid in helping countries manage crises, climate initiatives, and public health measures:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, for initiating this short debate. Cuts to overseas aid continue to be of great concern to the Churches, which set the target of 0.7% at a meeting of the World Council of Churches in 1958. The target was then taken up by the United Nations in 1970.

The Government have now walked away from their own manifesto commitment to the 0.7% target and there are considerable concerns, as we have heard, that it may never be regained, despite the Chancellor’s announcement in today’s Budget. Meanwhile, as we have also heard, there are increasing needs for aid, not least because of Covid and climate change. As the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury said in response to recent cuts:

“Reducing our overseas aid commitment at this critical time is morally wrong, politically foolish and an act of national self-harm.”

Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol speaks on importance of maintaining overseas aid”

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports expansion of “serious violence” definition to include domestic abuse

On 27th October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill in the third day of committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during the debate, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Bertin to include domestic abuse in the definition of “serious violence” under the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too add my support to the amendment moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Bertin. Many points have been covered, and I simply want to say that if the definition of serious violence is not expanded in this way, the concern is that many local areas will not consider it within their strategies.

Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports expansion of “serious violence” definition to include domestic abuse”