Derby – The Church of England in Parliament

Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Derby speaks at second reading

The Bishop of Derby spoke at the second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill on 16th October 2025, confirming that the Bishops Benches are committed to working proactively on the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I commend this Government’s mission to achieve safer streets and applaud particularly the aim of halving both knife crime and violence against women and girls in a decade. The Bill touches on a wide range of complex and important issues, and I will raise just a few.

Reporting of child sexual abuse and the decriminalisation of abortion are of particular interest to my colleagues on these Benches. Indeed, noble Lords may have seen the Church’s statement in response to the debate in the other place on the decriminalisation of women seeking abortion.

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Derby welcomes legislation

The Bishop of Derby spoke at the second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 1st May 2025, welcoming the bill and urging that the government listen to the voices and needs of children and young people:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I welcome this Bill and the Government’s commitment to improve children’s lives and their outcomes. My faith teaches me that, in this work, we echo Jesus’s commitment to place children at the heart of God’s transforming work—

“of such is the kingdom of God”.

As Nelson Mandela said:

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”.

Bishop of Derby asks about tackling homelessness

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on support for those leaving prison and at risk of becoming homeless on 30th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, this feels very close to home. The BBC recently reported that the number of people who spent at least one night sleeping rough in Derby in 2024 was 63% higher than in 2023. In the Government’s annual rough sleeping snapshot, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported that 10% of everyone sleeping rough across the UK had left institutions such as prison. I welcome the announcement that councils across England will receive £1 billion of funding to reduce and prevent homelessness. As the Bishop with particular responsibility for youth offenders, I ask the Minister how her department intends to work with councils to ensure that sufficient investment is appropriately and effectively allocated specifically to support young adults who are leaving prison.

Bishop of Derby asks about self-harm among girls in youth custody

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on incidences of self-harm among girls in youth custody, during a discussion on levels of self-harm in young people on 28th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, last month, Susannah Hancock, a member of the Youth Justice Board, published her independent review into placement for girls in custody. Many of the professionals that she consulted through that review identified self-harm by girls in secure settings as one of the biggest areas of concern. In the 12 months to September 2024, 55% of all self-harm incidents in the youth custody service involved girls, although they make up only 1.6% of the total average population in these settings. Can the Minister assure me that her department intends to collaborate with the MoJ to act on the report’s partnership recommendation to ensure greater consistency of good practice in responding to girls in custody who self-harm, including developing clear and consistent protocols on whether and how restraint is used, in order to prevent further traumatisation?

Universal Credit (Standard Allowance Entitlement of Care Leavers) Bill: Bishop of Derby stresses need to listen to care leavers concerns

The Bishop of Derby spoke in support of the Bishop of Manchester’s private member’s bill on 17th January 2025, stressing the need to listen to care leavers and to take their concerns seriously:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I congratulate my right reverend friend the Bishop of Manchester on bringing this Private Member’s Bill. I declare my interest as chair of the Children’s Society—a charity rooted in the Church of England and a key partner in the Church’s work to support care-experienced children and young people. I therefore welcome this Bill for the difference that it would make to care leavers.

As mentioned, last week we were privileged to hear directly from care leavers. I pay tribute to their resilience and I know that they are listening closely today. Their testimony reinforces my support for the Bill.

Three recurring themes emerge from our conversation: vulnerability, inconsistency and disempowerment. First, too many young people are made profoundly vulnerable as they leave care without a sufficient safety net around them. A recent survey by the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum found that 82% of care leavers struggled to afford food some or all the time.

Bishop of Derby asks about bullying in schools

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 19th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the success of Anti-Bullying Week 2024, and what initiatives they have in place to eradicate bullying.

Bishop of Derby asks about girls health and wellbeing

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.

Bishop of Derby asks about combatting bullying in schools

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 2nd November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government, as part of Anti-Bullying Week, what steps they are taking (1) to collect, record and monitor data on reports of bullying in schools and subsequent responses, and (2) to improve the availability and quality of anti-bullying training and support for teachers.

Bishop of Derby asks about improving mental health and wellbeing for young people

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

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce a national wellbeing measure for children to provide local authorities and national policymakers with data for the purpose of improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

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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