Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans moves amendment protecting leaseholders and tenants from remediation costs

On 20th April 2021, the House of Lords debated responses to the Commons Reasons and Amendments on the Fire Safety Bill. The Bishop of St Albans tabled a further amendment to the bill, seeking to protect leaseholders and tenants from remediation costs being passed on by building owners:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I give notice of my intention to seek the opinion of the House when the time comes, and declare my interest as a vice-president of the LGA.

When there is a crisis, we look to Her Majesty’s Government for radical and rapid action. Ministers are good at calling stakeholders to gather around the table. Just yesterday, in the other place, Minister Oliver Dowden said he was appalled by a situation. He promised Members that they should

“be no doubt that if they cannot act, we will … We will put everything on the table to prevent this from happening … Put simply, we will review everything the Government do to support”

this. He went on:

“We will do whatever it takes.”—[Official Report, Commons, 19/4/21; col. 676.]

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Bishop of London asks about costs of wedding celebrations

The Bishop of London asked a question on the growth of expensive wedding celebrations on 20th April 2021, during a discussion marking National Marriage Week:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I certainly commend National Marriage Week to this House, especially as one of the themes this year is that a wedding does not have to be an expensive extravaganza. The fees for a church wedding or a simple registry office ceremony are very modest indeed, but the wedding industry is busily ramping up expectations of what a special day should involve. How will Her Majesty’s Government work to encourage couples to understand that marriage itself matters far more than the commercial trappings of a wedding day?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about links between gambling and early mortality

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on reported links between gambling and early mortality on 20th April 2021, querying whether the government planned to transfer responsibility for gambling policy to the Department of Health and Social Care:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the research by Dr Naomi Muggleton linking gambling and early mortality, published in Nature Human Behaviour on 4 February, what plans they have to transfer responsibility for gambling policy to the Department of Health and Social Care.

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Financial Services Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports amendments on transparency and statutory governance

On 19th April 2021, during a debate on the Financial Services Bill, the Bishop of St Albans spoke in support of two amendments tabled by Lord Sikka, outlining the need for greater transparency around ministerial interventions in cases of financial misconduct, and supporting the establishment of a supervisory board to strengthen the accountability of financial watchdogs:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I will be brief in my support for this amendment. I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Sikka, and the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, for speaking at great length. I therefore do not need to add a huge amount more, not least as I intend to go into a bit more detail on my concerns about transparency when speaking in support of Amendment 34, which touches on similar issues of accountability.

I am a little puzzled why the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Rolfe, thinks that this is a case of bad cases making bad laws. It seems to me that there have been very considerable concerns in the past. Surely those ought to be investigated.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about status of British Nationals (Overseas) in Hong Kong

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the ability of British Nationals (Overseas) to leave the territory of Hong Kong on 19th April 2021, during a discussion on pro-democracy campaigns in Hong Kong:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: Will the Minister tell us what assessment the Government have made of the ability of BNO applicants to safely leave the territory, after it has emerged that the Government of Hong Kong have asked some foreign Governments not to accept BNO for working holiday visas in Europe, North America and parts of Asia?

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Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester welcomes legislation and wider work in rehabilitative justice

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in a debate on the second reading of the Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill on 16th April 2021, welcoming the bill and stressing the need for rehabilitation to be at the centre of the prison system:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I add my condolences to those already expressed regarding the sad death of Dame Cheryl Gillan. I echo others in affirming that it is her commitment to reform that means that we are discussing these issues today.

I declare my interest, as stated in the register, as Anglican bishop for prisons in England and Wales. It is a great privilege for me to visit a variety of establishments. In conversations with prisoners, governors and chaplains, you get a sense of those issues that, if tackled, could have a real impact. Drug use within prisons is one of those issues.

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Votes: National Security and Investment Bill

On 15th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the National Security and Investment Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Bishop of Leeds asks about potential conflict in Ukraine

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the response potential conflict in Ukraine on 15ht April 2024, during a debate on the amassing of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds [V]: My Lords, given the relative ineffectiveness of the western response to the invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, what assurance might Ukraine assume, should conflict or further invasion ensue? Also, could the Minister comment on any prognosis for the future of the Minsk accords and the prospects for Normandy?

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Financial Services Bill: Bishop of St Albans supports amendments to establish standards for debt collectors and to regulate online gambling

On 14th April 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Financial Services Bill. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in support of an amendment seeking to introduce a regulatory body for debt collectors, and moved his own amendment which would establish greater autonomy for users on blocking online gambling purchases:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 16 and then address my own Amendment 27. The introduction of a regulatory body to oversee the rules governing the behaviour of bailiffs would greatly strengthen complaints handling for the victims of practices that fall outside the national guidelines. The FCA reported in its Financial Lives 2020 Survey that 3.8 million people in the UK are currently experiencing “financial difficulty”. It is a terrible situation that takes a significant toll on people’s health and relationships. This amendment seeks to address an important concern: the fair treatment of people by enforcement agents who collect debts, often from vulnerable people who are in grave financial distress.

The absence of an independent regulator means that, when breaches of national standards occur, any complaints will be dealt with through the company or a trade association, before possibly being passed on to an ombudsman. This is an arduous process that prevents complaints from being adequately actioned. Furthermore, these national standards are not legally binding, which obscures the extent to which an individual can seek redress. No industry is exempt from poor practice. While most enforcement agents will probably abide by national standards, nevertheless we need to make sure that they are properly regulated.

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Votes: Financial Services Bill

On 14th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the Financial Services Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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