The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 17th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the potential withdrawal of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on the ability of church buildings to host the 35,000 social action community projects operating in Anglican churches across England.
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The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 17th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to extend the remit of the Minister for Women and Equalities specifically to include girls’ wellbeing.
Continue reading “Bishop of Derby asks about girls health and wellbeing”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 16th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with heritage and faith communities about zero-rating VAT on repairs to listed buildings; and what assessment they have made of potential implications for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
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The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 16th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to publish the number of UK citizens in prison abroad as a matter of routine
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The Bishop spoke at the second reading of the Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill on 13th December 2024, emphasising the need for legislation on this issue:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Owen, on bringing forward this Bill, which seems to me to be very clear. It was good to witness her evident surprise at having to explain it to a bishop, but she need not have worried on that front.
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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.
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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.
Continue reading “Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill: Bishop of London supports bill”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?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about return of refugees to Syria”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?
Continue reading “Bishop of Newcastle raises issues faced by farmers in the North-east of England”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.
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