The Church of England in Parliament

Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford speaks in support

The Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in support of the Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill on 13th December 2024, raising the negative impact of limited adjustment periods and the need for grace in the asylum system:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, like many others, it is a pleasure for me to speak in support of this Bill. I too pay tribute to the Private Member’s Bill in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, as well as to other campaigners who have continued to call for a longer move-on period for those newly granted refugee status.

I sincerely welcome the Government’s decision to introduce this pilot, extending the move on-period to 56 days. It is among the recommendations of the recent Commission on the Integration of Refugees, of which I was pleased to be a commissioner; I should also state my interest as a principal of RAMP. It seems only a short while ago that we were responding to the reduction of the period to seven days, soon after which refugee homelessness figures reached an unprecedented peak, accounting for 51% of rough sleepers—a near 1,000% increase between the July of that year and last autumn.

Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill: Bishop of London supports bill

The Bishop of London spoke at the second reading of the Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill on 13th December, supporting the bill and the need to make administration clearer in the asylum system:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I am glad to add my voice on the Second Reading of this Bill, and I pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for bringing it forward.

As the Bishop of London, I see many churches which have stepped in to provide support to newly recognised refugees when the process of support just does not work as it should. Last year, I led a letter signed by 44 other faith and belief leaders in London to raise awareness of the high rates of homelessness for the newly recognised refugees. Many other faith groups and churches found themselves supporting newly recognised refugees who were street homeless. As part of the letter, we called for the Government to extend the support to 56 days. Following the letter, I had a very productive meeting with the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, when he was in his ministerial post, along with officials, and I pay tribute to him for his willingness to listen and, in fact, his willingness to respond.

Bishop of Leeds asks about return of refugees to Syria

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on protection of refugees from Syria, particularly those in minority groups, following a government statement on the recent regime change in the country:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, although Governments might learn a lot about not establishing red lines in other countries where we then breach them, which we have done with Putin and, particularly, in Syria with chemical weapons, it is clearly too early to know how Russia will respond to this. We know that it has withdrawn some of its naval fleet, but we do not know what the immediate future holds in Putin’s mind. These are early days—I am glad to hear in the Statement that asylum claims have been suspended, as it were, for the time being—but can the Minister give any guarantee that nobody will be returned to Syria before we are clearer about what they might be going back to, especially if they belong to a minority, and that proper hearings will still be held so that justice is done for some very vulnerable people?

Bishop of Newcastle raises issues faced by farmers in the North-east of England

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on the impact of removing agricultural property relief for farmers on 12th December 2024, with a focus on the effects on farmers in the North-east of England:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege. I commend her speech and her lifetime of bold interventions.

Stretching from the Scottish borders to the River Tyne, my diocese is largely made up of farming communities. For many, farming is about much more than making a living and has been their way of life for generations. A tractor horn outside this Chamber yesterday loudly proclaimed that “Old MacDonald has a farm”,’ but for how much longer?

I appreciate that the Government intend to target wealthy landowners buying land to avoid tax, but I fear that they have not adequately considered the impact on tenant farmers. The north-east has the highest regional proportion of tenant farmers. I pay tribute to my noble friend from the north Lord Curry of Kirkharle, who spoke from his own experience. Following the Budget, farming tenants are now faced with a greater lack of security. What assessment has been made, and will be made, of the impact that the changes to inheritance tax will have on tenant farmers?

Bishop of Norwich speaks in debate on impact of the budget on family farms

The Bishop of Norwich took part in a debate on the impact of the government’s new budget on family farms on 12th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Leicester, for bringing this timely debate. Let us not beat about the hedgerow: the Government’s Budget proposals are bringing huge stress and deep concern to the farming community, as we have already heard. For many, this is the final straw after years of challenges.

I have become aware of a particularly tragic circumstance in south Norfolk where, due to a terminal cancer diagnosis, if the farmer survives after 5 April 2026, the policy change will have a huge impact on his family’s well-being and fortunes. That pressure puts enormous strain on him, almost wishing him to die sooner, because then the farm will be safe.

What of situations of the unexpected sudden death of a young farmer? The family would not only have lost the primary breadwinner but would probably have an unsustainable farm to carry on farming.

Bishop of St Albans asks about flood protection on agricultural land

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on protection of agricultural land from flooding on 12th December 2024, during a discussion on the government’s new planning reforms:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I welcome many of the announcements from the Government today in the NPPF, especially on flooding-risk policy. However, I am concerned about the protection of agricultural land, not least around the vital need to keep the highest levels of food security in this country. Therefore, why was the decision made not to include in the NPPF explicit protection of the best and most versatile land?

Bishop of St Albans speaks in debate on tackling domestic violence

The Bishop of St Albans took part in a debate on tackling domestic violence on 12th December 2024, welcoming the government’s strategy of halving violence against women and girls in a decade:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Chisholm of Owlpen, for securing this debate and pay tribute to her work in this House. This is such a fundamental, important area for us to address.

I commend the Government on their ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. It demonstrates a commitment to tackling this scourge, and we must do all we can to take a stand against gender-based violence. The voices of men and boys are fundamental in this.

Bishop of Newcastle emphasises need to focus on prevention of domestic violence

On 12th December 2024, the Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on tackling domestic abuse, stressing the need to focus on prevention of violence through education:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, homes and relationships should be places where people feel safe and loved but, with Northumbria Police receiving about 115 calls about domestic abuse per day, this is sadly not the case for many. The north-east has particularly high rates of domestic violence, at 19 per 1,000 population according to Health Equity North, while the average for the whole of England is 13.

Steps are being taken to reduce this number, with Northumbria Police having placed domestic abuse specialists in their emergency call rooms since 2022. The project has received positive feedback, and I welcome the Government’s plans to introduce this more widely through Raneem’s law.

Bishop of St Albans asks about housebuilding in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on housebuilding targets in rural areas on 13th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, if the potential of rural exception sites were to be fully realised, it would make a transformative change for small rural communities, not least in providing the additional affordable housing that is desperately needed. It is frustrating because just before I came in I was trying to read the NPPF response to the consultation but I could not find it. Are His Majesty’s Government committed to introducing a national development management policy for rural exception sites?

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about agricultural property relief

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 12th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:

whether they plan to review their analysis, including assumptions, which informed their decision to reduce agricultural property relief for inheritance tax.
what consideration they have given to tapering or staggering the reduction of agricultural property relief for inheritance tax to give farmers time to put their tax affairs in order.
what assessment they have made of the analysis by the National Farmers’ Union that figures from the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs indicate that 66 per cent of farms will be affected by the proposed changes to agricultural property relief; and what is the reason for the difference between this figure and the Treasury’s calculation that 28 per cent of farms will be affected.

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