Bishop of St Albans responds to report on Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act

StAlbansRoMB1On 2nd July 2018 Lord Cameron of Dillington moved that ‘this House takes note of the Report from the Select Committee on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 “The countryside at a crossroads: Is the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 still fit for purpose?” The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, spoke in the debate: 

The Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. I also express my gratitude to the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, and his Select Committee for their excellent and timely report, The Countryside at a Crossroads. Not surprisingly, many of the points that I wanted to make have already been made, so I will cut out a number of things. I will not detain your Lordships for too long but will just underline one or two points. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans responds to report on Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act”

Week in Westminster, 25th-29th June 2018

This week in the House of Lords the Bishop of London made her first speech during a debate on disability, and the Bishop of St Albans’s Marriage Registration Bill passed its next parliamentary stage. Bishops also spoke about conflict in Nigeria, and asked questions about private finance for prisons, terrorism, and the apprenticeship levy.

Continue reading “Week in Westminster, 25th-29th June 2018”

Registration of Marriage Bill – Bishop of St Albans’s Bill passes Committee stage

On 29th June 2018 the House of Lords considered in Committee the Registration of Marriage Bill [HL], a Private Member’s Bill introduced by the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith. The Bishop moved a number of amendments to the Bill in response to points raised by Peers at an earlier stage. Being content with the amendments, the House passed them and the Bill completed its Committee Stage. A full transcript is below:


Continue reading “Registration of Marriage Bill – Bishop of St Albans’s Bill passes Committee stage”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about forestry commission land

On 29th June 2018 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on forestry commission land:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hectares of land managed by the Forestry Commission in England are (1) open habitat, (2) agricultural land, (3) quarries, (4) car parks, and (5) built development. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about forestry commission land”

Bishop of London makes first speech in Lords, on the NHS, disability and London

On 28th June 2018 the Bishop of London, Rt Revd & Rt Hon Sarah Mullally, gave her first speech in the House of Lords, during a debate led by Baroness Thomas of Winchester “that this House takes note of the different challenges facing disabled people in the United Kingdom in 2018”. The full transcript is below, along with the words of welcome to the House from other Members:

   The Lord Bishop of London (Maiden Speech): My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their warm welcome and am grateful for the practical support I have received from the officers and staff. I am humbled by the knowledge and wisdom represented in your Lordships’ House and I am very conscious that it is a privilege to be a Member. It is a responsibility that I will take seriously. Continue reading “Bishop of London makes first speech in Lords, on the NHS, disability and London”

Bishop of Coventry on importance of education and public information to help quell violence in Nigeria

On 28th June 2018 Lord Alton of Liverpool led a debate in the House of Lords, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the continuing violence between communities and armed groups in Nigeria”. The Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I join with others in thanking the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing a debate on the serious situation that threatens the very stability of Nigeria. With the noble Lord I deplore the violence and, with other noble Lords and indeed the victims themselves, some of whom have been in contact with many of us this week, I call on Her Majesty’s Government to use their influence on the Nigerian Government to ensure the security of their people and to bring the violence to an end. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry on importance of education and public information to help quell violence in Nigeria”

Vote: Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill

On 27th June 2018 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill. The Bishop of Chester took part in a vote on an amendment to the Bill:

Continue reading “Vote: Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill”

Archbishop of York questions private finance for prisons

On 27th June 2018 the Advocate-General for Scotland, Lord Keen of Elie, repeated a Government answer to an Urgent Question on privately financed prisons that had been asked in the House of Commons earlier that day. The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, asked a follow up question to raise his concern about indebtedness to private companies: 

The Archbishop of York: My Lords, I began my ministry as a prison chaplain in a young offender institution, Latchmere House, where every day some 60 to 70 young men arrived. As a chaplain you had to see them, but sometimes you did not succeed in seeing them because the place was overcrowded. In those days, the prisons were put there by Her Majesty and run with taxpayers’ money. Is the Minister confident that this private finance partnership will not create the same indebtedness from which the National Health Service is suffering? We owe a lot of money to private companies for our new hospitals. Are we walking into the same trap? Continue reading “Archbishop of York questions private finance for prisons”

Archbishop of York highlights importance of collective responsibility in resisting terrorism

On 27th June 2018 Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked an Oral Question in the House of Lords: ‘To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in pursuit of their anti-terrorism strategy, they will require preaching in mosques and teaching in madrassas in England and Wales to be monitored for hate speech against non-Muslims.’ The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, followed up with a point about collective responsibility for resisting terrorism:

The Archbishop of York: My Lords, does the Minister agree that pursuing anti-terrorism is the business not just of the Government but of all citizens of the United Kingdom? Therefore, if noble Lords do not mind an African saying, when two elephants fight, or make love, the grass gets hurt—what will not work is either side of the House thinking that it is doing a better job than the other. All of us are involved in trying to resist terrorism; it does not matter where it comes from. It is the duty of every citizen to pursue that particular reality. I lived in Uganda at one time when Idi Amin could just pick on anybody; it did not matter who you were or what you believed. What is critical, when we as citizens of the nation do not assist in the whole question of overcoming terrorism, is that it would be a mistake to think that it is purely an Islamic question. Continue reading “Archbishop of York highlights importance of collective responsibility in resisting terrorism”

Bishop of Peterborough questions effectiveness of Apprenticeship levy

PeterboroughFeb2017bOn 25th June 2018 Lord Fox tabled an oral question ‘to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Apprenticeship Levy.’ The Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, is the Minister aware that for small businesses and voluntary organisations the process of drawing up the standards is very complicated and time-consuming, that there is little guidance on this and no financial help for it from government, and that since the levy was introduced the grant for apprenticeships has fallen from £6,000 for an 18-year-old to £2,500, so the YMCA tells me? That makes it unviable for the YMCA to offer apprenticeships. Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough questions effectiveness of Apprenticeship levy”