On 12th September 2023, the House of Lords debated Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Energy Bill. Votes were held on motions relating to amendments, in which bishops took part:
Votes: Energy Bill
Tag: environment
Bishop of St Albans asks about the climate impact of London Luton Airport
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to restrict the climate impact of London Luton Airport.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Department for Transport): The Government has ambitious plans to decarbonise all aviation, as part of our Jet Zero strategy and is already supporting a variety of technology, fuel and market-based measures to do so.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the climate impact of London Luton Airport”Bishop of St Albans asks about the dangers of microplastics in food
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of microplastics in food; and what steps they are taking to investigate this.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the dangers of microplastics in food”Bishop of St Albans asks about uptake of renewables among British farmers
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to upgrade three-phase power supply to support British farmers with the uptake of renewables.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about uptake of renewables among British farmers”Bishop of Carlisle gives valedictory speech on land use in England
On 25th July 2023, the Bishop of Carlisle gave his valedictory speech during a debate on land use in England, raising the need for sustainable development and strong communication within departments and communities:
The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, this is a valedictory speech. I rise to deliver it with a mixture of huge gratitude and considerable sadness. The gratitude is what I feel towards so many in your Lordships’ House, both Members and staff, whose kindness, friendship and wisdom have made my 10 years here a time of great enjoyment, huge learning and constant interest. Thank you so much.
The sadness, of course, derives from the fact that this chapter of my life now comes to an end. As lead bishop on health and social care, I have had the particular privilege of getting to know a whole series of Health Ministers—all extremely gracious and accommodating— of engaging with some fascinating, and often contentious debates, especially in the area of medical ethics; and sitting on Select Committees on the sustainability of the NHS and on the future of social care. Indeed, I had been hoping to speak about social care—which is still by no means fixed—in the debate originally planned for today. That was not to be, and instead I am delighted that this topic of land use relates so very closely and immediately to that part of England in which I have lived and worked as a bishop for the last 21 years: Cumbria. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Cameron of Dillington, and the Land Use in England Committee, on producing such a thorough and very judicious report.
Continue reading “Bishop of Carlisle gives valedictory speech on land use in England”Bishop of St Albans asks about recent reports on the El Niño weather pattern
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th July 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent reports by the World Meteorological Organization of the El Niño weather pattern.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about recent reports on the El Niño weather pattern”Bishop of Guildford takes part in debate on the wide ranging effects of climate change
The Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate about adapting to the impacts that climate change will have on health, the economy, food security, and the environment on 24th July 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Guildford: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Krebs, for this timely debate and very much look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Earl, Lord Russell.
The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board have recently taken the decision to divest from fossil fuels following insufficient progress towards meeting the targets set by their investment boards in 2018. As the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury put it:
“We have long urged companies to take climate change seriously, and specifically to align with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and pursue efforts to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels … Some progress has been made, but not nearly enough. The Church will follow not just the science, but our faith—both of which call us to work for climate justice”.
Continue reading “Bishop of Guildford takes part in debate on the wide ranging effects of climate change”Bishop of Bristol asks about future oil and gas exploration in the North Sea
On 19th July 2023, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the alignment of company commitments to net-zero targets, and whether the government would factor this in before authorising expansion of North Sea oil and gas exploration:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, what assessment is the North Sea Transition Authority making of the alignment of company commitments, especially on net- zero targets covering scopes 1, 2 and 3, over the short, medium and long term as well as company alignment on capital expenditure towards those targets? Can the Minister assure us that, before licensing any expansion in North Sea exploration, the authority will factor this into consideration when judging projects under alignment with the UK’s net-zero legal commitment?
Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about future oil and gas exploration in the North Sea”Bishop of Exeter asks about decision to end direct payments to UK farmers
The Bishop of Exeter asked a question about the impact of the government’s decision to end direct payments to farmers on 4th July 2023, during a debate on government plans to reduce trade barriers to food imports from the EU:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter: My Lords, I wonder what account His Majesty’s Government have taken of the impact of ending their direct payments to English farmers, and whether it has put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to their European counterparts.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about decision to end direct payments to UK farmers”Votes: Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
On 20th June 2023, the House of Lords debated the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.