The Church of England in Parliament

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.

Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of Leeds points out constitutional implications of Lords Reform

The Bishop of Leeds spoke in the second reading debate on the Hereditary Peers Bill on 11th December 2024, pointing out the nuances of the role of the Lords Spiritual in the HoL, and the constitutional implications of House of Lords reform:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I rise to speak in the gap because there was a clerical error. My name should have been on the list and was not, so the remarks about Bishops being strangely mute are perhaps unmerited. I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Brady, on his maiden speech. All I can say to the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, is that the end is now more nigh than when this debate began, but I wish her well in the future. We heard Jesus quoted earlier:

“Greater love hath no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends”.

Your Lordships will remember that Jeremy Thorpe famously said of Macmillan, after the night of the long knives:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life”.

That might provide another lens through which to see this debate.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about access to SEND services for vulnerable children

The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on ensuring vulnerable children with SEND on 11th December 2024, such as those in the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community, and those living in extreme poverty, are able to fully access SEND services:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, despite significant progress in the identification of pupils with SEND in recent years, some groups remain significantly underrepresented in accessing a formal diagnosis and acquiring an EHCP. Looked-after children as well as those experiencing the most severe poverty and those who belong to Romany, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities face particularly serious barriers. What steps will the Government take to ensure that the most vulnerable children with SEND are better served?

Bishop of St Albans asks about Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 11th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the preservation of historic places of worship if the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme is not extended after March 2025.

Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about armed forces accommodation

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich received the following written answer on 11th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked His Majesty’s Government:

what assessment they have made of the progress made over the last 18 months in improving the maintenance of the accommodation of military personnel.
what plans they have to ensure that armed forces accommodation is sufficiently prepared for winter.
what progress they have made regarding the ownership and upgrading of married accommodation for serving personnel.

Bishop of St Albans asks about tackling rural crime

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on initiatives to tackle rural crime on 10th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I congratulate His Majesty’s Government on the laudable aim of increasing the number of police and others in front-line services. As I travel around Beds and Herts, I hear that there are plans for cuts in policing. This is at a time when in rural areas there is a fear of rural crime, which I do not think will be addressed by what will predominantly be allocation in urban areas. It is very real; there is a lot of fear and huge costs, particularly to our farming community. What can His Majesty’s Government do to build on the success of initiatives such as Operation Ragwort, which worked across counties? It made a significant improvement without huge additional cost.

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