The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to reduce the gender achievement gap in science and maths in secondary schools in England.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about reducing gender achievement gap in schools”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 13 March (HL5375), whether the National County Lines Coordination Centre coordinates with the National Rural Crime Unit and dedicated rural crime taskforces.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about drug policing”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the end of the Farming Resilience Fund on farmers’ mental health.
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On 31st March 2025, the Bishop of Chichester moved that the Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure and the Church Funds Investment Measure be presented for Royal Assent:
Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure
The Lord Bishop of Chichester: That this House do direct that, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919, the Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.
My Lords, this Measure rationalises the legal basis on which the Church Commissioners are obliged to provide funds to repair the chancels of certain parish churches. The existing law in this area has its origins in the time before the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. The rule that applied generally in England was that the people of the parish were responsible for maintaining the nave of the parish church, the main part of the church where the people would generally stand or kneel during services, and the rector of the parish was responsible for the chancel, the eastern-most part of the church that contains the altar and seats the clergy.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chichester moves chancel repair and church funding measures”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 31st March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the United States aid freeze on Rohingya refugees.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of US foreign aid freeze on Rohingya refugees”
The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 31st March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support and incentivise farmers in England to register in environmental land management schemes.
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The Bishop of Bristol took part in a debate on a report from the Modern Slavery Act 2015 Committee on 28th March 2025, advocating for improvements to corporate accountability in supply chains:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I, too, speak as a member of the review committee on the Modern Slavery Act in this 10th anniversary week. It was world-leading legislation, as we have heard. I also rise in the week that the Church commemorates Harriet Monsell, founder of the Anglican Community of St John Baptist, Clewer, a community which, from its 19th century inception, had as a core vocation the care of female victims of human trafficking. That community has for several years funded training of community groups across the United Kingdom to notice the trafficked people—women, men and children—hiding in plain sight in their midst and to act on their behalf. Clewer has also produced apps, notably for car washes and nail bars, giving assurance on their labour practices and suppliers. In today’s debate, that is where I would like to focus my remarks.
I draw attention to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act, which imposes a duty on companies supplying goods or services that have a turnover of at least £36 million to
“prepare a slavery and human trafficking statement”
every financial year. The statement should set out the steps that the business is taking to address and prevent the rise of modern slavery in its operations and supply chains. I know that some take that commitment very seriously.
Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol calls for improved accountability in business to combat modern slavery”The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 28th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support farmers to manage land for both food and nature following the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Continue reading “Bishop of Lincoln asks about closure of Sustainable Farming Incentive”
On 27th March 2025, the Bishop of Newcastle spoke at the second reading of the Employment Rights Bill, welcoming the bill and emphasising the need to enable workers to flourish in order to grow the economy:
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I am glad to speak in this Second Reading. I look forward to the maiden speeches and welcome new Members to your Lordships’ House.
Some years ago, I undertook research on the apostle Paul and work. Paul was never one to shy away from hard work and spoke of the personal cost of his tent making business, describing it as wearisome and fraught with the challenges of local politics. Two thousand years later, we continue to live amid diverse uncertainties.
The desire to make work pay and improve workers’ rights, as proposed by this Bill, must pay attention to the obvious: people who work are human beings. A strong economy needs resilient workers. As we scrutinise this legislation, we do so affirming that workers matter. If we get this right, we can move closer to a society in which people are viewed with inherent value and dignity. When people are valued and supported in what they do, they contribute to greater economic flourishing.
Continue reading “Employment Rights Bill: Bishop of Newcastle welcomes improvements to workers’ rights”
The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the government’s planned welfare reforms and the DWP’s report on a resultant increase in relevant poverty on 27th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I appreciate the work that the Government are doing to stimulate the economy and to get people back into work. I understand the dilemma that the Government face with the spiralling costs of welfare. But I am left to wonder: how is it that the DWP’s own impact assessment, which I understand includes the £1 billion investment that the Minister referred to, does also state that 250,000 people will be pushed into relative poverty, including 50,000 children? How can the Government of one of the richest countries in the world justify policies that push people into poverty?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about impacts of welfare reform”
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