Durham – Page 20 – The Church of England in Parliament

Health and Care Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks about provision of at-home abortion

On 16th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health and Care Bill 2022. The Bishop of Durham spoke in opposition to an amendment tabled by Baroness Sugg that would maintain the option of at-home early medical abortion that had initially been permitted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, for her tireless work on gender equality and areas of international development. We have often been collaborators on such matters. I also apologise to the noble Baroness if she has personally received any hurtful comments on this; some of the things I have seen were shameful. She should not have been abused in this way. Nevertheless, I will oppose her amendment; I hope she understands that this in no way lessens the way in which I honour her for her work.

I declare at the outset that the Church of England’s position on abortion is principled opposition, with a recognition that there are strictly limited conditions under which it may be preferable to any available alternative. My opposition to the amendment is based on that in part but also because I believe that the amendment is functionally inadequate in providing the necessary protections. This was a temporary measure introduced during the pandemic to allow continued access to abortion services, simply to meet a need in extraordinary circumstances. I support the Government’s decision to return to the pre-pandemic system for early medical abortions from August, which was supported by many in the public consultation response.

Bishop of Durham asks about the sponsorship scheme for Ukrainian refugees

On 16th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the new Homes for Ukraine scheme, that would allow members of the public to put themselves forward as sponsors to house refugees from Ukraine. The Bishop of Durham asked a question regarding support for sponsors:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I hope the House will forgive me; Bishops do not usually go first. I declare my interest as a trustee of Reset. I offer the Minister welcome. I loved working with him with Syrians and we did loads of work together. Please will he pass our thanks to Paul Morrison and the team, who I know have worked almost without sleep over the last four or five days? It is great that that team is being brought back together.

Health and Care Bill: Bishop of Durham opposes amendment on assisted dying

On 16th March 2022, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Health and Care Bill at the report stage. The Bishop of Durham spoke in the debate, stating his opposition to an amendment that would require parliament to consider a bill permitting assisted dying:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I agree with those who have already spoken opposing the amendment. First, the amendment is not appropriate as a use of the legislative process accompanying this Bill through your Lordships’ House. There is a question of purpose. If opportunity for debate is the goal, we must underestimate neither the significance of the Bill of the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, in October and the thorough, careful and considered debate, nor the possibilities of calling for Committee. I would also support that time being given in this House. There are important constitutional questions which arise if the amendment enacted by this House does in fact instruct the Secretary of State in the other place to propose and introduce a draft Bill—as the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, has just outlined. If that is not the case—and if the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, is not advocating for this draft to be introduced—what is the purpose of the amendment?

Votes: Health and Care Bill

On 16th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health and Care Bill in its report stage. Votes were held on several amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part.

Bishop of Durham asks about the impact of inflation on families

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on benefits for families with children during a debate on inflation on 16th March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of inflation on the real terms value of the benefits received by families with children.

Bishop of Durham asks about shipbuilding in the north-east of England

The Bishop of Durham asked a question regarding shipbuilding in the north-east of England on 15th March 2022, in response to a statement on the national shipbuilding strategy:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, if I may return to the glorious infographic—figure 1 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy—and wear my north-east hat very strongly at this point, the only north-east reference I could find in the entire document was a little star on the map, yet the north-east at one time was the great shipbuilding hub of the United Kingdom. What affirmation can the Minister give to the continuing shipbuilding work and ship repair work in the north-east and its desire to further expand for the future? Where does steel fit into that? I do not think the Minister answered the question from the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, about steel.

Bishop of Durham asks about energy investment

The Bishop of Durham asked a question about investment in sustainable energy during a debate on gas production on 15th March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: Will the Minister expand on the investment of microgeneration at local level? At Bishop Auckland, one of the local estates is having a massive transformation through solar being installed on all the rooms on that estate. Could not more money be put into that? Let us forget fracking, to be honest, because it is not going to deliver us anything at any time.

Bishop of Durham asks about refugee support

The Bishop of Durham asked a question about government support for refugee transportation on 15th March 2022, during a debate on support for refugees from Ukraine:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, a family is named in Moldova, Romania or Poland and has been sponsored by me or someone else but does not have the money for transportation. If it is all agreed on all sides, will the Government help with transportation?

Nationality and Borders Bill: Bishop of Durham speaks in debate

On 14th March 2022, the House of Lords debated the Nationality and Borders Bill in its third reading. The Bishop of Durham spoke briefly in the debate, expressing support for amendments whilst raising concerns about the reception and timing of the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I support all the amendments because they all seem to make complete sense in terms of tidying up, including those in the Government’s name. I too was disturbed by the announcement about the devolved legislatures—it expresses the deep unease about the Bill out in the country as a whole. I ask the Minister to take away from this House a real concern that this is not the right time to press ahead and that Ukraine has raised questions about the Bill and whether some kind of pause ought to be considered.

Hansard

Bishop of Durham asks about children’s rights

The Bishop of Durham asked a question about the rights of children on 14th March 2022, during a debate on executions in Saudi Arabia:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, on human rights in general, and the rights of children in Saudi Arabia, can the noble Earl assure us that the rights of children are being explored? I do not think that I am the only one in the House who feels that this was very cynically undertaken this weekend, as there was a hope that it would be hidden away.

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