Tag: Chester

Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill – Report Stage Amendments

The Government’s Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill had its Report Stage in the House of Lords on 4th March 2014. The Bishop of Chester spoke to Amendment 1 and Amendment 7. He and the Bishop of Peterborough took part in a Division on Amendment 1. The Bishop’s speeches are below, with links to respective sections of Hansard on the Uk Parliament website where the speeches can be seen in the context of the debate.

Amendment 1 – Licensing of gambling companies

(via Parliament.uk)

Amendment One (Baroness Howe of Idlicote) sought to “give the Gambling Commission a discretionary power to block financial transactions between people living in the UK and online gambling websites that have not secured a UK Gambling Commission licence”.

The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I want to associate myself fully with the remarks just made by the noble Lord, Lord Browne, and with the powerful and comprehensive speech made by the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, in introducing the amendment. Continue reading “Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill – Report Stage Amendments”

Cost of Family Breakdown: Bishop of Chester Question to Government

The Bishop of Chester asked Her Majesty’s Government: what is their estimate of the cost of family and relationship breakdown to the welfare budget.

After the Minister’s reply, he followed up with a supplementary question.

Lord Freud: My Lords, I am unable to give an official figure. A number of organisations have produced estimates—for example, the Relationships Foundation, at £45 billion-odd—but there is no consensus. The social security spend on lone parents and collecting child maintenance is just under £9 billion, but we must acknowledge that there are wider societal costs. Government have an important role to play in supporting families and working to ensure stable futures for children.

The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, if the figure of £45 billion or £46 billion given by the Relationships Foundation is even remotely accurate, that illustrates the cost of family and relational breakdown, which cashes out at about £1,500 each year for each taxpayer in our country. What more do the Government propose to do to support and strengthen family life and relationships in our country, which must somewhere include supporting the institution of marriage? Continue reading “Cost of Family Breakdown: Bishop of Chester Question to Government”

Bishop of Chester Pays Tribute to Reading Clerk

The House of Lords marked the retirement of its Reading Clerk with tributes paid by each of the benches. The Bishop of Chester spoke on behalf of the Lords Spiritual.

Moved by The Lord Speaker: That this House do approve the appointment by the Lord Speaker, pursuant to the Clerk of the Parliaments Act 1824, of Mr Simon Peter Burton to be Reading Clerk on the retirement of Mr Rhodri Havard Walters.

The Lord Bishop of Chester:

My Lords, I want to associate these Benches with all the remarks made so far. I think that Rhodri Walters introduced more than 200 Members into the House, including the rare distinction of introducing the Archbishop of Canterbury twice—first as Bishop of Durham and then as Archbishop of Canterbury. He may have been able to deal with the Letters Patent in his sleep, except that when a Bishop comes along he is liable to trip up the Reading Clerk as it is a different form of words.

Perfectionist that Rhodri was, three or four weeks ago, when the first of the current flood of new Bishops arrived, he said to me, with a fallen face, “I don’t think I have got it quite right”. I do not think that anyone else had noticed anything other than perfection because he was a perfectionist—a perfectionist in the parliamentary choir and in every aspect of his life. There was always a particular resonance between the Bishops and Rhodri because he is used to looking after bishops as he is a church warden of one of the parishes here in London. As a good church warden, he forgave us our sins when we did not do exactly as we were told.

(via Parliament.uk)

Introduction of the Bishop of Durham

14.03.03 Durham introIMAG1476

On 3rd March 2014 Paul Roger Butler, Lord Bishop of Durham, was introduced and took the oath, supported by the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Chester, and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.

Photos: Taking the Oath in the Chamber, holding the New Testament; Bishops’ Robing Room, being congratulated on his introduction by his predecessor as Bishop of Durham, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Bishop of Chester receives answer to question on electricity market (Written Question)

The Lord Bishop of Chester asked Her Majesty’s Government what amount and proportion of the United Kingdom’s electricity requirement in 2013 was met by inputs through interconnectors with other countries; and how much electricity the United Kingdom exported during 2013.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma) (Con): The table below shows UK imports and exports of electricity, in GWh, January 2013 to September 2013. Data for 2013 as a whole will be available on 28th March 2014.

Imports and Exports in the UK for January-September 2013 in GWh
Imports 13,084
Exports 2,065
Net Imports 11,019
-as % of electricity supply 4.00%
Electricity Supplied 275,523

Source: Energy Trends table 5.2 available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-section-5-energy-trends

(via parliament.uk)

The Bishop of Chester responds to Government statement on Sri Harmandir Sahib

The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Desai, made the point that using force to resolve a situation is nearly always counterproductive and has results that you do not anticipate. Are there two additional lessons from this? First, the speed with which this report has been produced is commendable. I think of the Chilcot inquiry that we are still waiting for. This has been done in a few weeks and it seems to me to be a lesson for other situations in which a bit more speed can help the reconciliation process. Secondly, is one of the lessons that understanding religious sensitivities is something the modern world can find hard to do? One thinks of Ariel Sharon going to the Temple Mount and starting the second intifada, with all the consequences that have flowed from that. Is that a lesson that we should draw from these events?

Baroness Warsi: I thank the right reverend Prelate for his warm words in relation to the way in which this inquiry was conducted quickly. It was certainly part of the clear remit set by the Prime Minister at the outset. The right reverend Prelate makes an important point. To understand the sentiment within the British Sikh community it is important to understand the significance of Sri Harmandir Sahib; the significance of the timing of Operation Blue Star; the implications in relation to the damage that was done to Sri Harmandir Sahib; and the basis of some of the concerns that were being raised by the dissidents. It is an important point. This is the challenge that I have in a sometimes aggressively secular world; some of these sensitivities are not properly explored and understood.

(via parliament.uk)

Votes – Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

On 28th January 2014, a number of bishops took part in two divisions on the Government’s Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, during ‘ping pong’.

Continue reading “Votes – Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill”

Votes – Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill

House of Lords Division Lobby
House of Lords Division Lobby

On 8th, 14th, 20th and 22nd January 2014, seven bishops took part in votes on amendments to the Government’s Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, during its Report Stage.

Continue reading “Votes – Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill”

Bishop of Chester takes part in debate on Pensions Bill

14.03 Bishop of ChesterThe Bishop of Chester spoke in favour of two amendments during the Committee Stage of the Pensions Bill, both proposed by Labour Peer Lord Browne of Ladyton. 

Amendmednt 62G

The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I warmly support both these approaches. Although they are contrasting—the noble Lord, Lord Lawson, emphasises transparency while the other approach offers appropriate consumer protection through some degree of regulation—I do not think that they are incompatible with each other.

Continue reading “Bishop of Chester takes part in debate on Pensions Bill”

Bishop of Chester speaks during debate on Pensions Bill

14.03 Bishop of ChesterThe Bishop of Chester spoke in favour of Amendment 32 during the Committee Stage of the Pensions Bill. The amendment, proposed by Baroness Hollins of Heigham, sought to retain the option of receiving deferred state pension earnings in a lump sum. The Bishop spoke a number of times during the debate on the amendment. The amendment was withdrawn following the debate. 

Continue reading “Bishop of Chester speaks during debate on Pensions Bill”