On 5th July 2023, the House of Lords debated the Illegal Migration Bill in the third day of the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Illegal Migration Bill
Tag: Ely
Bishop of Ely asks government to engage with Archbishop’s office and church contacts on laws criminalising homosexuality in Uganda
On 5th July 2023, the Bishop of Ely asked that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office utilise contacts available within the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Office and the wider church to engage with people in Uganda on the country’s recent institution of the death penalty for homosexuality:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reference to the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury’s letter to the Archbishop of Uganda, and for hearing us, as Bishops, say how much we deplore what has been decided by the Archbishop of Uganda in support of this ignoble law. In the light of the most reverend Primate the Archbishop’s intervention, and all that has been said about engaging with civil society, will the FCDO engage with the Archbishop’s office and make use of the Church’s contacts to offset some of the very conservative religious engagement from other countries in Uganda and engage with people on the ground in Uganda to seek to change this abhorrent law?
Continue reading “Bishop of Ely asks government to engage with Archbishop’s office and church contacts on laws criminalising homosexuality in Uganda”Bishop of Ely supports Healthy Homes Bill
On 15th July 2022, the house debated the Healthy Homes Bill at its second reading. The Bishop of Ely spoke in the debate on this Private Member’s Bill. His speech is below, along with contributions from other peers:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak in the Second Reading of this very important Bill. The lead Bishop on housing, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chelmsford, is sadly unable to be with us. However, she has asked me also to pass on her gratitude to the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, for his work in bringing the Healthy Homes Bill forward.
In his book Reimagining Britain, the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote that we need to reimagine housing. He said:
“Reimagined core values and practices in any housing development will be linked to health in many forms. Good communities build financial, physical, mental, spiritual and relational health.”
As the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, said, this is about linking not just housing and health but education. In my time as Bishop of Ely, when we have built church schools on crowded new housing estates I have always insisted on having space in front of the schools so that, rather than doubling the cramp that people feel, we have pram plazas rather than pram wars.
Continue reading “Bishop of Ely supports Healthy Homes Bill”Bishop of Ely speaks in debate on COP26 Conference, urging commitment to tackling climate change
On 18th November 2021, the Bishop of Ely spoke in a debate following the conclusion of the COP26 conference on climate change, urging that the UK match their commitments with action on protecting the environment for future generations:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Young of Old Scone, on her opening speech. To pick up on her football analogy, we will all be familiar with the football commentary, “They think it’s all over”. It was not over until the surprise and hoped for goal came. We are looking for that goal with passion, which is why we are encouraged by the passion and commitment that came through so strongly from the Minister and from Mr Sharma throughout COP 26. It has built my confidence that the momentum will not be lost, and our remaining presidency will be no less crucial for the future of this planet than the conference itself. I applaud the Minister for his work on deforestation, and I commend further work on sufficient soil improvement, both in this country and overseas, which will provide the best carbon capture.
Continue reading “Bishop of Ely speaks in debate on COP26 Conference, urging commitment to tackling climate change”Dormant Assets Bill: Bishop of Ely supports creation of community wealth funds on behalf of the Bishop of Newcastle
On 16th November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Dormant Assets Bill in the report stage. The Bishop of Ely, on behalf of the Bishop of Newcastle, spoke in support of an amendment to the bill which would support the creation of community wealth funds to assist deprived communities in reducing inequality and improving local infrastructure:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, is correct that my friend the Bishop of Newcastle has made her valedictory speech, but I have been permitted to speak on her behalf. Noble Lords may have noticed a certain discrepancy in height and volume between me and the Bishop of Newcastle but she is living proof that stature has nothing to do with size. I applaud my friend for her significant role as a Lord Spiritual and a community leader in Newcastle; the city has honoured her with the freedom of the city in recognition of her work.
In support of the amendment, we would like to say that the creation of community wealth funds, as the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, has said, will strengthen community life in left-behind communities, including many in the diocese of Newcastle. Levelling-up investment, while welcome, has been largely about hard infrastructure but we want to see more investment in social infrastructure so that our communities can flourish. It is precisely that social infrastructure which could be provided by the community wealth funds, so they are already creating confidence in communities even if the consultation is yet to happen.
Continue reading “Dormant Assets Bill: Bishop of Ely supports creation of community wealth funds on behalf of the Bishop of Newcastle”Bishop of Ely asks about number of children awaiting speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy
The Bishop of Ely asked a question on the number of children waiting for speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments following initial assessments on 16th November 2021, during a debate on NHS waiting lists in England:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, can the Minister confirm the number of children waiting for treatment for speech and language and for physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments after their initial assessment? Those treatments are vital for supporting educational development of children as we recover from the pandemic. Are those figures included in the published waiting list figures—and, if not, why not?
Lord Kamall (Con): I thank the right reverend Prelate for that question. Unfortunately, I do not have the statistics with me, but I shall write to him.
Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Ely speaks in support of amendments on prison release schedules
The Bishop of Ely spoke in a debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill on 15th November 2021, in support of amendments that would prevent prisoners from being released on a Friday, a weekend, or a public holiday, in order to ensure that newly released people would have access to services and support:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: My Lords, I was not intending to speak to these amendments but, having been involved in prisoner resettlement in the past, I feel it is important to say that Friday release has a particular impact on younger women prisoners if their only option is a bail hostel.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Ely speaks in support of amendments on prison release schedules”Bishop of Ely urges statement of government support for Palestinian communities
The Bishop of Ely asked a question on the status of Palestinian land in the West Bank on 7th July 2021, urging that the government show support for the rights and aspirations of Palestinians, including Palestinian Christian communities:
The Lord Bishop of Ely: With little prospect of negotiations resuming, will the Minister accept that the continued settlement building programme amounts to an incremental and de facto annexation of the West Bank? The international community needs to promote the rights of all Palestinians, including the Christian community. Does the Minister agree that a strong endorsement of Palestinian aspirations by the Government would demonstrate to the Palestinian public the possibility of international political process and show that Her Majesty’s Government are committed to active peacemaking rather than merely to conflict management?
Continue reading “Bishop of Ely urges statement of government support for Palestinian communities”Votes: Trade Bill
On 23rd February 2021, the House of Lords debated Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Trade Bill. A vote was held on an amendment to the bill, in which Bishops took part.
Votes: Trade Bill
On 6th January 2021, the House of Lords debated the Trade Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
The Church of England in Parliament 
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