Bishop of St Albans highlights problems of poor broadband services in rural areas

On 27th October 2016 the House of Lords held a short debate on a question from Lord Foster of Bath “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure the rollout of superfast fibre broadband to homes across the country.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in the debate:

StAlbans171115The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, my thanks, too, go to the noble Lord, Lord Foster, for securing this important debate. I, too, want to address rural issues and I declare an interest as president of the Rural Coalition. Many of our members are deeply concerned about this area. As other noble Lords have mentioned, nearly half of rural households in the UK currently struggle with broadband speeds of less than 10 megabits per second. Around one in five rural households can only access broadband speeds of under 5 megabits per second, and a significant proportion cannot access any broadband at all. This lack of connectivity acts as a huge obstacle to the growth of the rural economy and to rural sustainability. This is even more important as we get ourselves geared up for Brexit. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans highlights problems of poor broadband services in rural areas”

Bishop of Portsmouth asks Government to look at impact on schools of increasing business rates on small solar panels

portsmouth241016On 27th October 2016 Baroness Featherstone asked Her Majesty’s Government “whether they will reverse their decision to end the business rate exemption for small solar panels from April 2017”. Baroness Featherstone said “I urge the Government to look at the impact on schools and parish councils, which will be devastating”. The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, asked a follow up question: 

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: My Lords, may I press the Minister a little further on the impact—perhaps, I am hoping, the unintended impact—of this decision on some small schools? Is it really intended that small schools should pay business rates, often after significant community fundraising to install solar panels to increase awareness among children and young people of climate-change issues? Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth asks Government to look at impact on schools of increasing business rates on small solar panels”

Bishop of Portsmouth supports National Citizen Service Bill

portsmouth241016On 25th October 2016, the Government’s National Citizen Service Bill was debated at Second Reading in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, supported the Bill, and talked about the desirability of widening access to the National Citizen Service.

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth My Lords, I too welcome and support this Bill, not only because of the impact, actual and potential, on building the confidence and contribution of participants but also for its intention to both formalise and improve the accountability and functioning of the NCS. It may seem obvious for us to support a scheme with such clear aims to encourage young people to engage with their communities and take responsibility for their transformation, and one that claims some positive impact on community cohesion.
Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth supports National Citizen Service Bill”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about rural fuel poverty

St Albans 2On 25th October 2016 Baroness Donaghy asked Her Majesty’s Government “what is their estimate of the number of households currently in fuel poverty; and what action they intend to take to reduce that number.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, there is a particular problem with fuel poverty in rural areas, particularly remote rural areas. What steps are Her Majesty’s Government taking to promote the use of renewable forms of heating, especially in off-grid areas in the countryside? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about rural fuel poverty”

Bishop of Bristol asks about the expertise required for exiting the EU

Bristol160226 cOn Monday 24th October 2016, Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, the Lord Privy Seal, repeated a statement on the European Council. The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Rev Mike Hill, asked a follow up question.

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Baroness for repeating the Prime Minister’s Statement. She has emphasised something that all noble Lords will recognise: this is a matter of huge complexity. To articulate one anxiety, the noble Baroness said that we are the first country to leave the EU—I do not know whether she regards that as a notable first—but, if it is as complex to leave the EU as your Lordships’ House believes, can she assure us that somewhere there is the expertise necessary to enter into negotiations of complexity in such a way that will really benefit the people of the United Kingdom? Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about the expertise required for exiting the EU”

Bishop of Portsmouth asks Government for assurances about safety of child refugees in Calais


portsmouth241016On Monday 24th October, Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty’s Government “what steps they are taking to fulfil the obligation under the Immigration Act 2016 to accept unaccompanied child refugees before the camps at Calais and Dunkirk are demolished on 31 October.” The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Rev Christopher Foster, asked a follow up question.

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: Can the Minister confirm that Her Majesty’s Government will ensure sufficient co-operation with the French Government and sufficient assistance from our own Government for the support of unaccompanied child refugees in France? Can she also confirm that no child will at any time be left in unsafe circumstances? Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth asks Government for assurances about safety of child refugees in Calais”

Votes: Bus Services Bill

On 24th October 2016 the House of Lords debated the Government’s Bus Services Bill at its Report Stage. The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, took part in a vote on an amendment to the Bill tabled by Labour Peer Lord Kennedy of Southwark to remove Clause 21 , which sought to prohibit local authorities from forming companies to provide local bus services. Continue reading “Votes: Bus Services Bill”

Church of England Week in Westminster, 17th-21st October 2016

Welcome to the Church of England’s weekly round-up of activity in Parliament.

Westminster

This week bishops in the House of Lords asked questions about fixed odds betting terminals, the case of Asia Bibi in Pakistan and health spending on HIV prevention. Bishops spoke in debates on peace and stability following the EU referendum and on the Fit To Work scheme. They also took part in debates and votes on the Government’s Investigatory Powers Bill and Children and Social Work Bill. Bishops also spoke in support of Private Member’s Bills on House of Lords reform and disability equality. 

Continue reading “Church of England Week in Westminster, 17th-21st October 2016”

Bishop of Bristol supports Abortion (Disability Equality) Bill

“Not only children but adolescents and adults with Down’s syndrome live valued and valuable lives, contributing greatly to the welfare of those around them. All of this is undermined by the continued existence on our statute book of a law that, in effect, states that Down’s syndrome is a ground for abortion.” – Bishop of Bristol, 21/10/16

Bristol160226 cOn the 21st October 2016 Conservative Peer Lord Shinkwin led a debate on the Second Reading of his Abortion (Disability Equality) Bill. The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, spoke in support of the Bill.

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, for introducing this Bill. I understand that its focus is the principle of disability equality, not some underhand attempt to limit women’s access to abortion services. Noble Lords will, of course, have a variety of opinions on the ethics of abortion, but that is not, in principle, the focus of the Bill. It needs to be said that, in general, historically and indeed today, churches and other faith groups have always maintained a cautious approach to how the rights of women and the rights of the unborn child can somehow be maintained without, we hope, falling in to those who reside at the extremes of arguments around ethics on both sides of this debate. Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol supports Abortion (Disability Equality) Bill”

Bishop of Birmingham supports Bill to reduce size of the House of Lords

On the 21st October 2016 Conservative Peer Lord Elton introduced the ‘House of Lords Bill’ –  a Private Member’s Bill to reduce the size of the House of Lords. The Bishop of Birmingham, Rt Revd David Urquhart, spoke in support. A number of other Peers made reference to the Lords Spiritual and extracts of their remarks can be found after the Bishop’s speech, below. 

birmingham-211016cThe Lord Bishop of Birmingham: My Lords, I am resisting the temptation to tear up my notes and respond to the noble Lord’s last quote. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Elton, for again bringing before us this important matter. It is widely agreed in many places that as weseek to be effective as a House, the size of the House is of great concern. Of course, as has already been said by the noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde, recent changes have attempted to alleviate the size of the House—we have adopted retirement provisions—yet they have not been sufficient to alleviate the flow of new Members. The statistics have already been referred to.

From this Bench, the Lords spiritual have spoken consistently over the past few years in support of reform aimed at addressing the size of the House—and we do so again, keeping in mind the aim of the House to improve the core functions of our scrutiny of legislation and government proposals from the other House, and of offering expertise and independence, which have already been referred to. Continue reading “Bishop of Birmingham supports Bill to reduce size of the House of Lords”