Parliament met this week in Westminster and online. Prayers were read at the start of each sitting day in the House of Lords by the Bishops of Worcester and Carlisle.
The Bishop of Manchester made his maiden speech, during a debate on the Government’s Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill.
He also called on Government to improve its messaging when introducing coronavirus regulations.
The Archbishop of Canterbury asked about reconciliation work in Nigeria following recent violence.
The Bishop of St Albans asked questions of Government about the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. He also sponsored a successful amendment to the Government’s Agriculture Bill, on food and farm standards. Bishops voted on other amendments to the Bill.
The Bishop of Rochester asked about the effect on ordinations of the new COVID-19 rules. He also voiced concern about Government plans to allow evictions to resume following their suspension during the pandemic lockdown.
The Bishop of Carlisle asked a question about COVID-19 bereavement support for young people.
In a debate on new Government plans to limit payouts for higher paid public sector employees the Bishop of Worcester warned that lower paid workers would see their pensions hit as a consequence. He also asked Government a question about socioeconomic diversity in the creative industries.
The Bishop of Leeds asked about UK support for opposition groups in Belarus.
In the House of Commons the Second Church Estates Commissioner answered a written question on the Church of England’s communication strategy during the covid-19 outbreak.
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I spoke last week with a young person whose father, sadly, died recently of Covid-19, and she told me about the impact that experience has had on her own mental health. I am therefore grateful for the reassurance from the Minister that Her Majesty’s Government will be strengthening access to mental health services in our schools and, I hope, in our colleges and universities. Are there any plans for bereavement support and counselling to form part of that provision? 
On 23rd September 2020 the House of Lords was asked to approve the Government’s Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations 2020. The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, spoke in the debate, highlighting the negative consequences of the Regulations for the pensions of longstanding and lower paid public sector workers:
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, I am looking forward to my invitation to curry supper. More seriously, I think I speak on behalf of all the faith communities in welcoming the Prime Minister’s continued affirmation of the importance of places of worship being open, albeit with restrictions, not just for the private benefit of the adherents of a particular faith but for wider community cohesion and well-being, bearing in mind not least that many of these places host food banks and other community care initiatives. I hope that, if any further measures are needed, that community well-being dimension will be kept in mind alongside others. 
On 23rd September 2020 the House of Lords debated the Government’s Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 4) (Coronavirus) Rules 2020. 
The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, given that engagement with the creative industries can have such a positive impact on society in so many ways, does the Minister agree that it is crucial for the Government to seek to encourage a much greater involvement of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds in the creative industries, so as to enable those industries to represent and engage with the whole of society? Does she further agree that this is a matter of urgency, given the vulnerability of such groups at present to Covid-19 and other health risks, as well as to unemployment? 
The Church of England in Parliament 
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