Bishop of St Albans asks about issue of forced labour in consumer goods market

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

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take steps to prevent UK consumers from purchasing goods produced by forced labour; and what assessment they have made of (1) the decision by the government of the United States to add aluminium to its list of priority sectors for the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, and (2) European Commission plans to publish an online database of regions and sectors where forced labour is a risk.

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Lords Spiritual  (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill: Bishop of Derby outlines benefits and contributions of female Lords Spiritual

On 10th September 2024, the Bishop of Derby spoke at the second reading of the Lords Spiritual  (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill, detailing the contributions of female Lords Spiritual and women’s wider role in ordained ministry:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I feel I should declare an interest as the only speaker in this debate who has benefited from the provisions of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015; thank you.

I know something of the challenges of being a woman in senior ministry, not least as I hold the distinction of being the first woman to be appointed and consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England, as Bishop of Stockport. I subsequently entered the House under the terms of the 2015 Act when I became Bishop of Derby, the fifth woman to sit on these Benches.

On balance, I support the Bill to extend this provision, and I add my thanks to those of my right reverend friend the Bishop of St Albans to the Leader of the House and to the Government for making time for it. I trust that this short and time-limited Bill to enable the existing Act to continue for a further five years will receive the same cross-party support that enabled the original Bill to progress through both Houses swiftly and without amendment in early 2015.

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Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill: Bishop of St Albans introduces legislation

The Bishop of St Albans spoke at the second reading of the Lords Spiritual  (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill, explaining the background of the legislation and the purpose of the extension:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her opening remarks. I put on record my personal thanks and those of the Church to His Majesty’s Government for securing time to bring this Bill forward, and to the Opposition for giving their support to the proposal. I hope that this will be a relatively simple and straightforward piece of business and that we may not need to detain the House for too long.

The Bill, if passed, will extend the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015, due to come to an end in 2025, for a further five years to 2030. In our view, this is a reasonable extension to a successful piece of legislation. Prior to the 2015 Act, the 26 bishops who sat in this House were determined by the Bishoprics Act 1878: the most reverend Primates the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the right reverend Prelates the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, followed by the 21 longest-serving diocesan bishops in the Church of England.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about access to pharmacies in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on ensuring accessibility of pharmacies for those living in rural areas on 10th September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that pharmacies are accessible to those living in rural areas.

Baroness Merron (Lab, DHSC): My Lords, pharmacies are key to our plans to make healthcare fit for the future, as we shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community. We will expand the role of pharmacies, including the introduction of prescribing services. People’s experiences of accessing pharmacies differ across the country; we will look closely at this. There are dispensing doctors in areas where pharmacies are not viable, and online pharmacies delivering medicines free of charge to patients.

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Bishop of Lichfield asks about funding for interfaith community work

The Bishop of Lichfield asked a question on government support for community interfaith initiatives on 9th September 2024, during a discussion on drivers of prejudice and hate-crimes against Muslims:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: My Lords, some of the most valuable and effective work that is being done to improve community relations, and so to counter religious hate crime and prejudice, is at a local and grass-roots level; for example, in Walsall we have community iftars, church-mosque twinnings, multifaith drama groups, and so on. Can the Minister tell us what the Government are providing in funding and support for local initiatives and groups of that kind?

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Support for Infants and Parents Bill: Bishop of Norwich welcomes legislation

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate introducing the Support for Infants and Parents Bill on 6th September 2024, welcoming the bill and referencing the work of the Archbishop’s Commission on Families and Households:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I apologise to noble Lords for speaking in the gap. I did not expect to contribute today, but listening to the contributions so far, I was struck by the crossover with work underway by the Church and the Mothers’ Union, particularly when the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, mentioned the role of churches and faith communities.

I welcome the Bill and congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, and the right honourable Dame Andrea Leadsom on their work on this issue. Churches across the country offer support to new families and parents, providing spaces for parents to meet, share experiences and be directed to support, if needed. They provide child development services through toddler and children groups, which are essential for the formation of children before they start nursery or reception classes in school. Through Messy Church and these toddler groups, hundreds of churches are already implementing many of The Best Start for Life recommendations. Churches are delivering perhaps more than 18 of the 24 recommendations and are often partnering with local authorities to develop joint working on issues that affect all our communities.

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Bishop of Southwark speaks on risks posed by changes to VAT exemption for independent schools

The Bishop of Southwark spoke in a debate on the impact of changes to the VAT exemption for independent schools on 5th September 2024, raising the issue of unintended effects on SEND provision and potential ramifications for cathedral and choir schools:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the Government’s intention to levy value added tax in this area was a manifesto commitment at the general election. The Government entertain a well-evidenced belief that parents purchase an economic and social benefit for their children’s future through private schooling. Whatever the experience any of your Lordships have had of such schooling, the undoubted premium placed on forming character or the excellence in pastoral care that some of these schools exhibit, the Government nevertheless have a mandate for change. The noble Baroness, Lady Ramsey, underlined the pressing need for more teachers in our state schools.

However, who will and who will not be affected by this change is a worthy subject of debate. I am happy to say that both the boys’ and girls’ choirs at Southwark Cathedral are almost entirely drawn from state schools, and are consequently unaffected by the VAT change. Furthermore, a number of schools in my diocese offering provision for special educational needs and disabilities have their places funded by the local authorities. But there are cathedral and choir schools, and private schools, with provision for special educational needs that will be severely affected by the change that the Government intend. Many of these are small schools, and therefore the impact will be disproportionately severe.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about tackling online abuse and prejudice

On 5th September 2024, during a discussion on the ability of current online safety legislation to regulate abuse, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the need to tackle the root causes of prejudice leading to online abuse, and the role communities and faith groups can play in helping to combat it:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I recognise absolutely the urgency and importance of legislation in this area, but does the Minister agree that equally important is the work of tackling the prejudice that lies behind online abuse, and the important role therefore of intermediate institutions such as community groups and faith groups in tackling prejudice? What are the Government doing to support those groups in that work?

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Votes: Holocaust Memorial Bill

On 4th September 2024, the House of Lords debated a regret motion to the Holocaust Memorial Bill. A vote was held on the motion, in which Bishops took part:

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Holocaust Memorial Bill: Bishop of Southwark expresses concern over location of memorial site

On 4th September 2024, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in a debate on the Holocaust Memorial Bill, expressing concern that the proposed site would not allow the memorial to act in its originally proposed capacity as a learning centre, and noting the importance of this in the context of rising antisemitism and Britain’s own role in the history of the Holocaust:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, like my right reverend friend the Bishop of St Albans, I speak personally in this debate. I have had the privilege of knowing a good number of Holocaust survivors, which has been life-changing and life-enriching for me. Future generations will be denied that privilege, which is why it is so important that we get this right.

I acknowledge the desire of His Majesty’s Government and so many of your Lordships to proceed with a matter that was, in many minds, settled back when the commission reported in 2015 and when the then Government came forward with proposals in 2016, as we have heard. I am also grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Pickles, and the secretariat at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for its recent briefing note, which addresses, so helpfully, many of the objections to the current scheme.

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