Bishop of Durham pays tribute to retiring Lord Speaker

On 12th May 2021 tributes were paid in the House of Lords to Lord Fowler, the retiring Lord Speaker. The Bishop of Durham spoke on behalf of the Lords Spiritual:


The Lord Bishop of Durham: It is my privilege to pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, from the Spiritual Benches. I start with a specific reflection from these Benches on our leading of Prayers at the start of each day. The noble Lord was consistently considerate and courteous, taking the time to personally thank the duty Bishop for their prayers on each occasion. It was a small, kind gesture that meant more than he may have realised.

We all know of the noble Lord’s long-term, ongoing dedication and perseverance in addressing HIV. His patient persistence is admirable and notable. As he continues with this commendable work, as a UN ambassador, we trust he will further help it move forward. As it happens, this morning, before we began business, I was on a call with Christian Aid, for Christian Aid Week, with people from Kenya who were reflecting not only on climate change but the ongoing impact of AIDS in their country. It is work that needs to continue.

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Bishop of St Albans asks Government to make developers pay to remedy work not meeting fire safety standards

On 12th May 2021 the House of Lords questioned Government on fire safety and cladding, following a recent fire in east London.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, the Government have said that it is not right for the taxpayer to bail out leaseholders, but taxpayers’ money through the building safety fund could be bailing out developers for building substandard developments. What plan do the Government have to investigate whether developments met fire safety regulations at the time of construction and, in those cases where regulations were not met, to apportion remedial liability to the developers, so that those responsible actually pay?

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Bishop of Rochester asks about difficulties associated with COVID-19 vaccination certification schemes

The Bishop of Rochester asked a question on the potential difficulties associated with vaccination certification on 29th April 2021, during a discussion on possible government plans to to introduce COVID-19 status certification for (1) international, and (2) domestic, use.

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, in relation to some of the issues raised, the Minister may well already be aware of the expert working group of the Ada Lovelace Institute on some of these practical and ethical considerations. While personally I see the need for schemes of this kind—for international travel, obviously, but also in relation to some activities and sectors—will Her Majesty’s Government, in assessing the various pieces of work now being done, have a particular concern to make sure that no scheme becomes compulsory vaccination by default and to mitigate dis- proportionate effects on groups within the population such as those within which vaccine take-up has been low?

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Bishop of Carlisle asks about relationship between obesity and mental health

The Bishop of Carlisle asked a question on the importance of understanding links between obesity and mental health conditions on 29th May 2021, during a discussion on the government’s health policies:

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I too echo all the appreciative comments made about the Lord Speaker. Does the Minister agree that any interventions to address obesity must take account of the complex relationship between mental health and obesity? For example, people who are obese have a 55% increased risk of developing depression over time, and people living with depression have a 58% increased risk of becoming obese. Can we ensure that attempts to remedy one problem do not exacerbate the other?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about efficacy of sanctions on Russia

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 29th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy as a deterrent of the sanctions imposed on the government of Russia since 2014.

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Bishop of Bristol asks about provision of information on employment rights for overseas workers

The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on 29th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked Her Majesty’s Government how many bids were received from organisations to provide information sessions on employment rights for overseas domestic workers; whether any of the bids have been successful; and when they expect the sessions to begin.

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Bishop of Coventry asks about relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 29th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the opening of a museum in Azerbaijan on the second Nagorno Karabakh War on relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
  • what steps they are taking to promote dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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Votes: Fire Safety Bill

On 28th 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:

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Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of Rochester raises concerns over effects on leaseholders and tenants

On 28th April 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Fire Safety Bill. The Bishop of Rochester spoke in the debate, raising concerns he and other members of the Bishops Benches had over the effects of the bill on tenants and leaseholders:

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, the right reverend Prelates the Bishop of St Albans and the Bishop of London have both been involved in earlier stages on the Bill and, regretfully, neither is able to be in your Lordships’ House this evening. However, I come with my own background and interests, as a former board member of various housing associations over 25 years and as the former chair of the charity Housing Justice.

As noted by the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans has been heavily involved in this matter and has been persistent. He said yesterday that none of us wanted to be in this position at this stage. But while so much of the Bill is welcome—not least the £5 billion which has been referred to—there are continuing and serious concerns, some of which have already been expressed in the debate this evening, about the position of leaseholders and tenants, and particularly certain groups of leaseholders and tenants.

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Votes: Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021

On 28th May 2021, the House of Lords debated a motion to pass the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021. Votes were held on amendments to the motion, in which Bishops took part.

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