Bishop of St Albans asks about food security

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what consideration they have given to introducing a “Food Security and Resilience Act”, as recommended in the National Preparedness Commission executive summary report Just in case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap, published in January.
  • whether they will take steps to treat food security as a core component of national infrastructure planning, as recommended in the National Preparedness Commission executive summary report Just in Case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap, published in January.
  • what consideration they have given to establishing an advisory body to provide advice on food security, as recommended in the National Preparedness Commission executive summary report Just in Case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap, published in January.
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Bishop of Newcastle asks about transport infrastructure in the North-east

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 24th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government when they intend to announce whether they will provide the remaining £6.2 million necessary to restore the Tyne Bridge.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about rise in shoplifting rates, and illegal medical treatments for epilepsy

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 24th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the rise in shoplifting.

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Bishop of Newcastle leads debate on impact of rural bank closures

The Bishop of Newcastle led a debate on the impact of bank closures on rural communities on 13th February 2025, raising issues of financial exclusion:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of bank closures in the past decade and the impact on people in rural communities.

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who are taking part in this short debate and look forward to listening to each of the contributions that they will bring. While this debate has its focus on diverse rural communities, I know that the issue before us is not solely rural.

Last month, Lloyds Banking Group announced that it will be close 136 bank branches across the country. The Tyne valley in Northumberland will see another three branches close their doors—two in Hexham and one in Prudhoe—meaning that customers in Hexham will need to travel over 15 miles to Consett to visit their nearest Lloyds branch.

Lloyds’ announcement comes after a decade of decline in the number of high street banks. Figures from Which? show that 6,266 bank branches have closed across the UK over the past 10 years, representing 63% of branches open at the start of 2015. If bank branches continue closing at such a rate, we face living in a society where those unable to bank digitally are financially excluded.

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Bishop of Manchester raises need to challenge contemporary antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia during Holocaust Memorial Day debate

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in a debate marking Holocaust Memorial Day on 13th February 2025, raising experiences from his own diocese and the need to challenge contemporary antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I will begin by paying tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Austin of Dudley, who sadly is not able to be in his place today. As the noble Baroness, Lady Ramsey of Wall Heath, reminded us just a few minutes ago in her excellent speech, Ian is the son of a Holocaust survivor. It was he who helped me understand the significance of this day, long before either he or myself were Members of your Lordships’ House.

Unlike my present diocese of Manchester, Dudley, where I was then the bishop and the noble Lord, Lord Austin, was an MP, did not have a very large Jewish population. Nevertheless, at his instigation, every year we sent two young people from Dudley College of Technology to Auschwitz. They reported back to our annual Holocaust Memorial Day event that was held in the college, where they told very moving stories of what they had seen and how it had made them feel. Their witness, alongside the testimony of Holocaust survivors, helped inspire young people who were born almost half a century after the Holocaust to understand why we today must be constantly on the vigil against those voices that seek to deny the common and equal humanity and dignity of every single human being. Those who denigrate, despise and ultimately seek to destroy those whom I, as a Christian, will always declare as being created in the very image of God.

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Bishop of Lichfield speaks in debate marking Holocaust Memorial Day

The Bishop of Lichfield spoke in a debate marking Holocaust Memorial Day, emphasising the importance of continued engagement with the history of the Holocaust and antisemitism, and interfaith dialogue:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: My Lords, it is an honour to participate in this debate. I anticipate hearing many more thoughtful and powerful contributions like those we have already heard, and look forward to hearing the words of the noble Lord, Lord Katz, who will follow me. I congratulate him on making his maiden speech today, along with the noble Lord, Lord Evans, and the noble Baroness, Lady Levitt.

I declare my interest as a former chair of the Council of Christians and Jews. With that in mind, I was very glad to see on the speakers’ list today my friend the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, who shared with me as a trustee there. I look forward to what he has to say.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the lives of the 6 million Jewish men, women and children, along with other groups, who were murdered by the Nazis. This year has been particularly significant, as it marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As the Minister pointed out, as each year goes by, the number of living people who have their own personal accounts of surviving the Holocaust diminishes. It is the responsibility of us all to ensure that their lives do not simply become statistics in a history book but that they are remembered as people, each with their own stories and experiences.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about e-scooter battery safety

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on safe charging practices for lithium batteries, during a discussion on regulation of e-scooters on 13th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: The theme of this Question seems to be public safety. I noticed that last week two fires were reported in London due to lithium battery failures, one in an e-scooter and one in an e-bike. What consideration are His Majesty’s Government giving to mandatory safety standards for PLEV batteries, and how can we enhance awareness of safe charging practices to protect lives?

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Bishop of Manchester asks about net zero targets and biomass capture

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the impact of new oil projects on net zero targets, and a question on the viability of carbon capture and storage, on 12th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: Perhaps I might make it a bit wider, to avoid putting the Minister in a difficult situation. We have heard that there are a number of projects that have previously been approved to a certain stage and—at the risk of a pun—are in the pipeline. Have the Government made any estimate of the impact that schemes in this sort of pipeline will have on the UK being able to meet its net-zero targets?

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Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill: Bishop of Manchester speaks in support of amendments on community and voluntary groups

On 12th February 2025, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments to the bill tabled by Lord Murray of Blidworth aiming to provide further support for community and voluntary organisations under the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I support the amendments of the noble Lord, Lord Murray of Blidworth, in this group. As the Bishop of Manchester, I have got something like 400 churches and church halls in my diocese, but these amendments go rather wider than that. For places of worship, there are already some grant schemes for protecting against terrorism, given the particular threat that places of worship, especially Muslim and Jewish places of worship, have traditionally faced.

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Bishop of Albans highlights concerns over rise in National Insurance

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on concern in the charity sector over rises in National Insurance on 12th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, there is great concern in the charitable sector about these increases. Can the Minister tell us whether His Majesty’s Government are monitoring the effect on the charitable sector?

Lord Livermore (Lab, Treasury): We of course monitor the effect of all our policies on all sectors of the economy. We have increased the amount of money going to charities, and we will stand by that increased investment.

Hansard