On 13th March 2017 several votes took place on amendments to the Government’s Higher Education and Research Bill. The Bishops of Chester, Durham and St Albans took part. Continue reading “Votes: Higher Education and Research Bill”
Tag: Chester
Votes: Higher Education and Research Bill
On 8th March 2017 the House of Lords voted on three amendments to the Government’s Higher Education and Research Bill. The Bishop of Oxford, the Bishop of Worcester, and the Bishop of Chester took part in the votes. Continue reading “Votes: Higher Education and Research Bill”
Votes: EU (notification of Withdrawal) Bill – parliamentary approval of Brexit deal
On 7th March 2017 the House of Lords considered the Government’s EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill at Report. A vote was called on a cross-party amendment to give parliament an approval vote on a negotiated Brexit deal. Ten bishops took part. Continue reading “Votes: EU (notification of Withdrawal) Bill – parliamentary approval of Brexit deal”
EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill: Bishop of Chester on difficulties of amendment on parliamentary approval of Brexit deal
On Tuesday 7th March 2017, the House of Lords considered the Government’s EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill at Report Stage and Third Reading. A cross-party amendment led by Lord Pannick sought to ensure that Parliament had final approval of any Brexit deal negotiated with the EU by the Prime Minister. The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster, spoke in the debate on the amendment.
The Lord Bishop of Chester My Lords, whether Article 50 notification is revocable or irrevocable is a matter of policy or law. I believe that we could interrupt the process of leaving the EU only by another referendum. I think this is the point that the noble Lord, Lord Lawson, touched upon. In fact, the noble Baroness, Lady Altmann, made the same point at the beginning of her speech. If in two years’ time Parliament were seen to be blocking the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union without another referendum, there would be a serious political situation in our country. Continue reading “EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill: Bishop of Chester on difficulties of amendment on parliamentary approval of Brexit deal”
Bishop of Chester asks about Vauxhall-Opel’s long-term viability
On Monday 6th December, Lord Prior of Brampton repeated a Government statement in the House of Lords regarding the acquisition of Vauxhall-Opel. The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster, asked a supplementary question.
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, the Ellesmere Port plant is in my diocese and its closure at any time would be a disaster for that area on the banks of the Mersey. I recognise that that is not in immediate prospect, but can the Minister say more about the strategy to make the long-term loss-making Vauxhall-Opel group more profitable? If GM could not do it, how does Peugeot Citroën plan to do it? Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks about Vauxhall-Opel’s long-term viability”
Bishop of Chester asks Government about London-Chester rail service
On 23rd February 2017 Lord Shipley asked Her Majesty’s Government “what plans they have to ensure that HS2 will maximise links between cities in the north of England and with Scotland.” The Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, currently there is an excellent two-hour direct service at 125 miles an hour between London and the city of Chester. Will being able to get to Manchester—wherever Manchester is—in an hour call into question the current excellent direct service between London and Chester? Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks Government about London-Chester rail service”
Votes: Digital Economy Bill
On 22nd February 2017, several bishops took part in three votes on the Government’s Digital Economy Bill. Continue reading “Votes: Digital Economy Bill”
Digital Economy Bill: Bishop of Chester asks how Government is keeping pace with technological advancement
On 8th February 2017 the Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, spoke during a debate on an amendment by Lord Lucas to the Government’s Digital Economy Bill. The amendment was that Ofcom be granted powers to ‘carry out and publish evaluations of algorithms’.
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, this is an important amendment because it touches upon the bigger issue of the impact of artificial intelligence on all sorts of aspects of our lives. There is a law called Moore’s law, which says that every two years the power of computers doubles. That has been true over the past 20 or 30 years and we should assume that that power will continue to develop. Artificial intelligence in all its impacting forms will be more and more prevalent in our society and more and more potent in the hands of terrorists in the years to come.
Continue reading “Digital Economy Bill: Bishop of Chester asks how Government is keeping pace with technological advancement”
Votes: Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Bill
On 8th February 2017 two votes took place in the Lords on amendments to the Government’s Health Services Medical Supplies (Costs) Bill. The Bishops of Chester and St Albans took part in the first vote and the Bishops of Carlisle, Chester and St Albans in the second. Continue reading “Votes: Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Bill”
Bishop of Chester asks Government about social effects of fall in house prices
On 7th February 2017, Lord Bourne gave a statement to the House on the publication of the Government’s new White Paper on housing. The Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, asked a question about falling house prices.
The Lord Bishop of Chester My Lords, I want to ask about the politics of all this. I speak as a fool in relation to that, but let us take the hypothesis that this policy is a great success, that we have lots more houses and that the price of houses starts to fall. Indeed, let us imagine that land prices start to fall in the way that the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, rightly pointed out. All the people who have bought houses in the past 20 years will find that those houses are worth less than they used to be. It seems to me that this is tinkering with a major problem. Do the Government seriously wish to get the average value of a house back down to 3.5 times average earnings? If so, what are the consequences going to be? Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks Government about social effects of fall in house prices”
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