Sir Tony Baldry welcomes investment in Cathedrals

On 27th November 2014, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the Rt Hon Sir Tony Baldry MP, asked a supplementary question about funding for cathedrals during questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The exchange is reproduced in full below.14.01 CCQ Baldry

Cathedrals

Mr Robin Walker (Worcester): What recent funding his Department has provided for the fabric of cathedrals in England. [906279]

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Sajid Javid): In this year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced a £20 million fund to allow cathedrals to undertake urgent repair work. As my hon. Friend knows, that included £330,000 for the beautiful Worcester cathedral. In addition, cathedrals have access to the listed places of worship grant scheme, which has a budget of up to £42 million per annum.

Mr Walker: I am grateful for that answer. May I add my condolences on the tragic death of Phil Hughes, who is fondly remembered in Worcestershire, where he used to play? I was pleased recently to welcome the Secretary of State to Worcester cathedral for a magnificent performance of Shakespeare. Will he join me in celebrating the fact that, in the year that Bishop John of Worcester has taken the lead for the Church of England on cathedrals and church buildings, the east window at Worcester cathedral will be being restored with that grant of £330,000?

Sajid Javid: May I first say to my hon. Friend that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the cathedral with him and seeing “Julius Caesar”. It is an excellent demonstration of how our cathedrals can be open to so many activities in our local communities. In fact, I have seen similar events recently at Rochester and Portsmouth cathedrals. With regard to Bishop John, I was actually just discussing that very matter with His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday, and I join my hon. Friend in warmly congratulating the bishop on his position.

Sir Tony Baldry (Banbury): I warmly thank the Secretary of State for the £20 million grant for cathedrals, which has enabled some 41 cathedrals to carry out various works and repairs from fixing leaking roofs, repairing stained-glass windows and spires and carrying out many other important works to enable them to commemorate the centenary celebrations. Does my right hon. Friend agree that cathedrals are powerful symbols of our shared history and are also the envy of the world? They bring in many tourists, so this investment by the state in our cathedrals is great value for taxpayers.

Sajid Javid: Yes, I agree fully with my right hon. Friend. He will know that of the £20 million we allocated in that grant, £13 million has been used so there is still about £7 million left to go. I urge other cathedrals to take advantage of that and to work to help their local communities.

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of St Albans – Energy Prices (Written Answer)

On 27th November 2014, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, receieved an answer to a written question on energy prices.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the outcomes of the round-table event convened by Ofgem on 29 October on price differences between various payment methods for domestic consumers of electricity and gas, particularly in relation to addressing the higher fuel costs of pre-payment meters.[HL2852]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): There was general agreement at the workshop that payment differentials was a complex issue and that any changes to the rules would create winners or losers with no clear benefit to vulnerable groups. For example, of households who were fuel poor in England in 2012, around 48% paid for their electricity and 40% paid for their gas through direct debit and around 27% paid for their electricity and 20% paid for their gas through prepayment meters. Changing rules in favour of pre-payment meter customers would make direct debit customers worse-off. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans – Energy Prices (Written Answer)”

Bishop of Derby – South Sudan (Written Answers)

On 27th November 2014, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, received answers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to four written questions about South Sudan.

Bishop of DerbyThe Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage greater and co-ordinated regional political pressure being put on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to cease fighting and to respect agreements signed to date.[HL2864]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns): The UK is actively supporting regional efforts, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to resolve the crisis in South Sudan. We raise the need for continued regional engagement through our Embassies in IGAD capitals, contacts between Ministers and through the UK Special Representative’s engagement in the peace talks. Continue reading “Bishop of Derby – South Sudan (Written Answers)”

Bishop of Birmingham leads call for improved regulation of payday loan advertising

01.04.14 Bishop of BirminghamOn 26th November 2014, the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Revd David Urquhart, led the debate on two amendments to the Government’s Consumer Rights Bill, during its Report Stage. The amendments,which the bishop spoke to on behalf of the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Tim Thornton, sought to improve the regulation of payday loan adverstising in two ways – first, through preventing payday lenders from targeting children with advertising on television and second, through the regulation of unsolicited telephone Bishop of Truro 20.6.13calls from payday lenders. Amendment 47, related to pre-watershed advertising, was pressed to a vote by members of the House of Lords. No bishop took part in the division, and the vote was not successful. The Government did, however, state that the regulator, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) had agreed to broaden the remit of its review into the content of payday loan advertising to consider scheduling rules. Continue reading “Bishop of Birmingham leads call for improved regulation of payday loan advertising”

Bishop of Coventry takes part in debate on the UK’s membership of the European Union

In the House of Lords on 25th November 2014, Labour Peer Lord Liddle led a take-note debate on the case for the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union. The Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, took part in the debate. In his remarks, he noted that a shift in focus from economic costs and benefits to the European Union’s role as an institution of peace and reconciliation is necessary for meaningful debate to take place on the UK’s place in the EU. He noted that reform was necessary, not least to rebalance the democratic deficit between national and supra-national governance. He noted that churches may be well placed to create safe and neutral spaces in which informed and serious debate on the UK’s place in Europe can take place.

13.10 Bishop of CoventryThe Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, for securing this debate, although I enter it with some trepidation in such company. I am constrained to do so by the story of Coventry, from where I come, and by the originating Christian contribution to the possibilities that some form of common life might have for Europe and, thereby, for the world. When in your daily life you see the scars of warfare upon a city, when you hear the testimony of those who lost homes and families on one night in November 1940, when each year you are joined by Germans in the commemoration of your city’s 500 dead, and when you join them as they remember their city’s thousands of dead, you know that peace counts and that reconciliation is indeed a precious gift, and you give thanks for the project which has had peace as its fundamental purpose. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry takes part in debate on the UK’s membership of the European Union”

Domestic Violence – Bishop of Birmingham asks Government about culture change in the police and CPS

In the House of Lords on 25th November 2014 Baroness Gale asked Her Majesty’s Government ‘what progress has been made since March, when the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, known as “Clare’s Law”, was implemented in all police forces in England and Wales.’ The Bishop of Birmingham, Rt Rev David Urquhart, asked a supplementary question:
01.04.14 Bishop of Birmingham
The Lord Bishop of Birmingham: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her response to some of the questions. I would like to press her a little further on the deep need for culture change, specifically in the area of training for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. Is she minded to enable the Government to make that mandatory?

Continue reading “Domestic Violence – Bishop of Birmingham asks Government about culture change in the police and CPS”

Bishop of St Albans – Work Capability Assessment (Written Answer)

On 25th November 2014, the Bishop fo St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer from the Depatment of Work and Pensions on the Work Capability Assessment.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether people who are undergoing a work capability assessment because of mental health problems are guaranteed assessment by health professionals who have psychiatric expertise.[HL2851]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): All healthcare professionals who carry out work capability assessments on behalf of the DWP are fully trained in disability assessment and are registered with their respective Regulatory Body. Healthcare professionals receive comprehensive training in the functional effects of mental health conditions. In addition all health professionals are supported by mental function champions who have specialist knowledge of mental health conditions and provide support and best practice advice.

(via Parliament.uk)

Consumer Rights Bill – Vote

On 24th November 2014, three bishops took part in a division of the House of Lords, during Report Stage of the Government’s Consumer Rights Bill.

Amendment 31

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

Labour Peer Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town moved amendment 31, which sought to remove the requirement for trading standards officers to give 48 hours notice before inspecting businesses, as the Bill currently requires.

The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern and the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smtih, voted ‘content’. No bishop voted ‘not content’.

There were Contents: 194 | Not Contents: 220 | Result: Government Win

(via Parliament.uk)

Bishop of St Albans presses Government on effect of welfare reform on in-work poverty

On 24th November 2014, Lord McKenzie of Luton asked Her Majesty’s Government how many households are in receipt of the housing element of Universal Credit. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a supplementary question:

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the House will be aware that the Chancellor has announced that the working allowances for universal credit will be frozen until April 2018. There is a real danger, if there is no lift in those allowances—at least in line with inflation—that that will significantly reduce the real net incomes of low earners. Could the Minister tell your Lordships’ House what assessment Her Majesty’s Government have made of the impact of these measures on the level of poverty among those who are already in work, especially for those families who are earning too little to benefit from further rises in the personal tax allowances?

Lord Freud: The working allowances in universal credit are much greater than under the legacy system, so there is a freeze that will have a small effect. Nevertheless, the poverty impacts are to take 300,000 children out of poverty.

(via Parliament.uk)

Farewell to the Bishop of Newcastle

After twelve years on the Bishops’ Benches in the House of Lords, Rt Rev Martin Wharton retires as Bishop of Newcastle at the end of this month. We look back at some of his work in parliament.14.03 Bishop of NewcastleRt Rev Martin Wharton joined the House of Lords in 2002, five years after becoming Bishop of Newcastle. At the time of his retirement in November 2014 only two other serving Lords Spiritual had spent longer in the House. His contributions over those years were notable for being measured, meaningful – usually aimed at highlighting a matter of social or economic injustice – and very often involved reference to the people and communities of the north-east. Continue reading “Farewell to the Bishop of Newcastle”