Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments consolidating mental health and family support for police force

On 2oth October 2021, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in a debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, adding his support to a group of amendments intending to create a police covenant to better support the mental health and wellbeing of police and their families:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I draw your Lordships’ attention to my interests in the world of policing as set out in the register, particularly in policing ethics, both with the Greater Manchester Police and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

At Second Reading I referred briefly to the culture of policing. I did not specifically mention a policing covenant given that time was so short, but I have been intrigued by the debate we have had this afternoon. I note the way in which Members have referred to the Armed Forces covenant. That is helpful in some ways, although I am just a little concerned. As I said at Second Reading, the heart of the policing model is that our police are civilians in uniform; they are not the Armed Forces. We need to be careful not to put police too easily into the same category as the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces are agents of the state while police are agents of society in a slightly different way. That is an important civilian distinction I would want always to hold before us.

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Bishop of Durham urges government action on rising cases of COVID-19

On 20th October 2021, the Bishop of Durham urged that the government put their “Plan B” into action to combat rising cases of COVID-19, citing the increased strain on emergency services:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I have a daughter who works in A&E in a London hospital who simply says, “Please will you make people act responsibly once again?” It costs us absolutely nothing. We acted too slowly previously. We have seen 10% increases in the last week; please just get on with plan B.

Lord Kamall (Con): I thank the right reverend Prelate for his question. It is important. Personally, I do believe that many people should be wearing masks and that there is evidence for this. But the fact is, we have to look at a number of indicators and balance those up.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham asks about food waste

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on food waste on 20th October 2021, during a debate on government plans for protection of the most vulnerable in the event of energy or necessity shortages:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, one of the other necessities mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, is food. Nationally and globally, we waste a third of all food. When 1.7 million children, between September 2020 and February 2021, were living in food poverty along with their families, surely there must be a better way. This week, the Earthshot Prize celebrated Milan’s citywide food-waste policy, which saves 260,000 meals-worth a year. What steps are Her Majesty’s Government taking to encourage and support the better local collection and distribution of food waste in the UK more effectively?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church of England Assets and Finances

On 20th October 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP:

Kerry McCarthy MP (Lab, Bristol East): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how much has been paid in (a) tax rebates, including of VAT on repairs and (b) Gift Aid to Church of England bodies including (i) dioceses, (ii) parochial church councils, (iii) cathedrals, (iv) the Church Commissioners and (v) the Churches Conservation Trust in each of the last five years.

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Bishop of Durham tables question on child poverty and the two-child benefit cap

On 19th October 2021, the Bishop of Durham asked a question on the findings of the Nuffield Foundation Review on Child Poverty, and links between child poverty and the government’s two-child limit on welfare benefits:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Nuffield Foundation’s review Changing patterns of poverty in early childhood, published on 14 September; and what steps they intend to take as a result, including in relation to the two-child limit for welfare benefits.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for the work of the Gambling Commission

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 19th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited, published on 13 September, what steps they are taking, beyond additional funding, to ensure that the Gambling Commission is better able to monitor and intervene in the case of novel gambling products.

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Archbishop of York pays tribute to his friend David Amess

In the House of Lords on 18th October 2021 Peers paid tribute to Sir David Amess MP, following his tragic murder. The Archbishop of York, Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, spoke of his friendship with Sir David during his time as Bishop of Chelmsford, how his faith motivated him, and of the need for more kindness in politics.

My Lords, on behalf of the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury, the bishops of the Church of England and, I am sure, all Christian people and all people of good will, I am here to offer the family of Sir David Amess and the constituents of Southend West my condolences and the assurance of the prayers of the Church. I am very grateful for all that has been said thus far, and, certainly, we on these Benches wish to associate ourselves with those comments.

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Bishop of Durham asks about remediation strategies for building safety

The Bishop of Durham asked a question about strategies for payment of remediation in issues of building safety on 18th October 2021, during a debate on the costs associated with remedying safety defects:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, have the Government looked closely at the “polluter pays” principle as a way of recouping funds for remediation of building safety defects from those who were initially responsible? Will this, or something equivalent, form part of the Building Safety Bill?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Community Wellbeing

On 18th October 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to provide affordable, sustainable and beautiful housing to support community wellbeing on the Church estate.

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Bishop of Durham speaks about tackling child poverty and health inequality

The Bishop of Durham spoke in a debate on regional inequalities on 14th October 2021, discussing issues relating to child poverty and health inequality:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, for securing this debate, and am pleased to follow on from the noble Lord, Lord Young of Cookham. I, too, look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Viscount, Lord Stansgate.

Jubilee is a strong theme of our Judaeo-Christian tradition. Jubilee includes setting people free from the impacts of inequality. If levelling up is going to mean anything significant, it must tackle the inequalities that exist in our nation. It needs to be a kind of jubilee.

This week is Challenge Poverty Week. Child poverty is a very good measure of regional inequalities within England, as it is both an indicator of poverty and a perpetuator of it. Child poverty highlights the complexity of issues that cause it, including education and employment. It has lifelong impacts on children as they grow into adults and shape their communities. The recent report by Donald Hirsch for Loughborough University estimates that the cost of child poverty is £38 billion a year, a significant increase in the past five years.

We see far higher levels of child poverty in some places than others. It is not a simple divide of a wealthy London and an impoverished north. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reported in its Green Budget for 2020 that

“inequalities within regions are larger than the inequalities between regions.”

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