On 27th April 2021, the House of Lords debated Commons reasons and amendments to the Fire Safety Bill. Votes were held on further amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Fire Safety Bill
Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans raises issue of leaseholder costs
On 27th April 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Fire Safety Bill. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in the debate, raising the difficulties faced by leaseholders struggling to meet remediation costs and to sell their properties:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: Well, my Lords, here we are again. I do not want to detain your Lordships’ House for too long, because everything has been said several times already, but I want to make a few comments, if I may.
I, too, want the Bill to pass. I pay tribute to Her Majesty’s Government and the money they have already found and put on the table, which is very significant. But since we last gathered here, the sheer scale of the crisis, which is in its very early stages, is slowly beginning to unfold before us and become ever clearer. I believe that is why the majority in the other place declines each time an amendment goes back, because those long-serving, seasoned campaigners in the other place realise what is going on. The stories are coming out absolutely relentlessly, and new research is being published.
At a few minutes to four this afternoon, I received an email from someone who works in Parliament. I will call her Claire; that is not her real name, but she will know who she is, because she emailed me at 3.56 pm and asked if I will speak up. She said, “Will you speak up for the leaseholders again and table an amendment? I bought a flat under the shared ownership scheme. I own a 25% share, yet I am liable for 100% of the costs. I am already paying an additional amount each month, and I know this amount will soon increase as further remediation work takes place. I simply cannot afford to pay for the remediation works, nor should I have to. The stress of this situation is becoming intolerable. My mental and physical health are approaching a state of collapse”. “Will you speak up?”, she said. I have not met her yet—I hope she will say hello to me one day, perhaps when she guesses who I am or sees me around the place. This is someone who we bump into, who works in this place and who serves us.
Continue reading “Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans raises issue of leaseholder costs”Bishop of Southwark asks about reduction in overseas development aid
The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on the government’s decision to cut amounts of overseas development aid on 27th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: The Minister will be aware that we are already in the financial year in which the reductions in budget are meant to take place. I note from an answer to an earlier question his commitment and desire to inform the House as soon as possible of the nature of the cuts in funding and how they will affect various development and aid projects. Does he agree that to implement a 25% reduction in the annual budget if one is, for example, three months into the financial year would amount to reducing by a third the funds remaining? This causes greater dislocation to whichever activity is supported than implementing planned funding before the financial year commences.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about reduction in overseas development aid”Bishop of Rochester asks about standards in public office
The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on the need to uphold standards in public office on 27th April 2021, following a Commons statement on dealing with potential breaches of the ministerial code:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, I will not advise on internal decorations, but I observe that, by virtue of being here, we are all inhabitants of glass houses. We note the adage that being in a glass house makes us visible, so it is wise to behave in ways that do not disgrace this place or ourselves. We often hear words from or about Ministers and others in public office to the effect that he or she did not “break the rules”. Is that not to set the bar fairly low? Does the Minister agree that, while we are all fallible human beings, we, in public office, should aspire to the highest possible standards of probity and behaviour and not simply settle for keeping the rules? If we do not, public opinion will lead to ever tighter rules.
Continue reading “Bishop of Rochester asks about standards in public office”Bishop of London asks about maternal mortality rates
The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 27th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of London asked Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish a report on the work to reduce health inequalities around maternal mortality rates, in particular the higher rate of death in childbirth for Black women, led by Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE; and what action will be taken as a result of this report.
Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about maternal mortality rates”Bishop of Rochester asks about updates to war memorials
The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on the inclusion of names of fallen soldiers from the former British Empire on war memorials, following a government statement on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities Report:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, I associate myself with the comments just made by the noble Lord, Lord Singh. Like many others, I have stood in places such as the Menin Gate and been overawed by the reading of the names there. In seeing the names of the fallen from many parts of the then Empire, I had assumed that all such were indeed properly commemorated. I know now of course that I and many others were wrong in that assumption. I have present and past diocesan connections with Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. I have also visited memorials and cemeteries in those places where I have seen the names of some local nationals. I am now asking myself how many names were not there when I visited those places. Is the Minister able to give me confidence to assure my colleagues in those places that their fallen compatriots will be as fully commemorated as possible, as soon as possible? Is there anything they can do to help this process?
Continue reading “Bishop of Rochester asks about updates to war memorials”Bishop of Rochester asks about role of local authorities in implementation of new local structures
The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on the government’s plans to implement new local structures on 26th April 2021, during a discussion on the annual report from the Industrial Strategy Council:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, although I was once a voluntary sector member of a regional assembly, I do not hanker after a return to that particular bit of structure. However, are Her Majesty’s Government contemplating any new local structures as part of the response to the questions raised, or do they trust local authorities, executive mayors and existing bodies, such as the LEPs, to deliver on this agenda? I notice that the Minister did not mention local authorities in his original response.
Continue reading “Bishop of Rochester asks about role of local authorities in implementation of new local structures”Bishop of Carlisle asks about funding for brain cancer research
The Bishop of Carlisle received the following written answer on 26th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle asked Her Majesty’s Government when they will allocate the remainder of the £40 million pledged to brain cancer research announced in May 2018.
Continue reading “Bishop of Carlisle asks about funding for brain cancer research”Bishop of Durham asks about housing for asylum seekers
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 26th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers they have asked (1) Mears, (2) Serco, and (3) Clearsprings Ready Homes, to provide accommodation for as part of Operation Oak.
Lord Greenhalgh (Con, Home Office): We currently have c8100 people in hotels, with our providers working to procure sufficient accommodation across the UK to exit contingency accommodation and maintain a business as usual operation thereafter.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about housing for asylum seekers”Bishop of Southwark asks about issues faced by the Anglican Church in Egypt
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 26th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of freedom of religion or belief in Egypt.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): The UK welcomes the positive steps taken by the Government of Egypt in recent years, including President Sisi’s public commitment to upholding the rights of minorities and freedom of worship, as well as the protections for freedom of religion enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. We were also encouraged by the opening of the Middle East’s largest cathedral in Egypt in 2019.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about issues faced by the Anglican Church in Egypt”
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