Fire Safety Bill: Bishop of St Albans tables motion to amend bill and provide financial protection for leaseholders

On 17ht March 2021, the Bishop of St Albans moved a motion to amend to the Fire Safety Bill which would protect leaseholders from costs incurred in replacing flammable cladding:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I speak to Motion C1 and Amendments 4B to 4E. I give notice of my intention to seek the opinion of the House when the time comes. I declare my interest in the register in that I, too, am a vice-president of the Local Government Association.

I first thank the honourable Members for Stevenage and for Southampton, Itchen, who originally prepared these amendments, as well as the signatories from all parties when they were tabled in the Commons. I also thank the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London, who joins me in supporting it, and pay tribute to one of our colleagues, the Bishop of Kensington, who has worked very closely on the ground with victims of Grenfell and leaseholders.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Farms

On 17th March 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Church of England: Farms

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to lengthen the terms of farm business tenancies on its agricultural estate to encourage (a) farm business resilience and (b) improved environmental management.

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Bishop of Salisbury asks about impact of reduction in overseas aid on peace negotiations in South Sudan

The Bishop of Salisbury received the following written answer on 17th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in overseas aid, in particular the funding provided through the Conflict Security and Stability Fund, on (1) the peace process in South Sudan, and (2) the contribution made by the South Sudan Council of Churches’ Action Plan for Peace to that process.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of landfill tax on fly-tipping

On 17th March 2021, the Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the landfill tax on the level of illegal waste disposals.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about tackling violence against women

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on methods of tackling violence against women on 16th March 2021, following a government statement on the death of Sarah Everard and the police response at the recent memorial gathering:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too want to assure Sarah Everard’s family and friends of my thoughts and prayers. A couple of times in this House I have mentioned the work being done in Australia, the first country in the world to develop a national framework to prevent violence against women and girls. “Change the Story” identifies gendered drivers of violence and engages people where they live, work, learn and play. Will the Government take a serious look at Australia’s work and see what we can learn? Regarding the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we will not be doing the right service to violence against women and girls unless we also ensure that we address the issue of that large group of women in prison for minor but repeated offences. Many are there because of the violence towards them and they need appropriate trauma-informed, community-based provision. Can the Minister assure the House that the issues about crime and sentencing will be looked at in a rounded and not a disconnected way?

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Bishop of Winchester asks about cuts to overseas aid

The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on the impact of cuts to the overseas aid budget on COVID-19 vaccine distribution on 16th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, is the Minister aware that, if the cuts to the overseas aid budget lead to cuts to the Voluntary Service Overseas programme, they will negatively impact the international distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, given the involvement of VSO in Covid-19 response programmes in different parts of the world, such as Covid safety training for healthcare workers and rural populations in Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, et cetera?

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Bishop of Winchester asks about support for community efforts to cut carbon emissions

The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on support for communities to reduce carbon emissions on 16th March 2021, during a discussion on the Climate Change Committee’s Carbon Budget Report.

The Lord Bishop of Winchester [V]: My Lords, at local and national levels, in communities across the country, the Church of England is committed to reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2030. Can the Minister say a bit more about the plans Her Majesty’s Government have to offer practical support for local communities already committed to transformation, using new, low-carbon technologies to achieve net-zero emissions?

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Bishop of London asks about potential health inequalities in Patient Choice Schemes

The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 16th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Patient Initiated Follow Up does not create barriers for deprived and excluded patients to access NHS care.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about human rights considerations in trade agreements

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 16th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to include human rights provisions in any future trade agreement between the UK and the Philippines.

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Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment providing temporary leave to remain for migrant victims of abuse

On 15th March 2021, during a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill, the Bishop of Gloucester moved her amendment to the bill which would provide temporary leave to remain and access to public funds to support migrant victims of domestic abuse:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I should like at the outset to acknowledge the assistance that I have received from Southall Black Sisters in preparing this amendment, and also thank the Minister for her time and compassion in discussing this with me. Amendment 70 is tabled in my name with the support of the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Goudie and Lady Hamwee, and I am grateful to every one of them.

I know that the protection of all victims of domestic abuse is a priority of noble Lords across the House, and I am grateful for the support shown for this amendment, which aims to provide migrant victims of abuse with temporary leave to remain and access to public funds for a period of no less than six months, so that they can access support services while they flee abuse and apply to resolve their immigration status. The mechanism for doing so is straightforward: extend the eligibility criteria of the existing domestic violence—DV—rule, which is a proven route for a limited group of survivors, including those on certain spousal and partner visas.

The Government raised concerns over the interpretation of the amendment, so we have made a couple of minor changes to proposed new subsections (1) and (2) to clarify the purpose of this amendment. There is also an updated explanatory note. I hope that what is now clear from the minor changes to the wording is that we are asking for temporary leave to remain and access to public funds while these extremely vulnerable people escape their abusers and regularise their immigration status. This is not about guaranteeing indefinite leave to remain to all migrant victims of abuse.

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