The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 12th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Communion Forest, an initiative comprising local activities of tree growing and ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration undertaken by parishes, dioceses and provinces across the Anglican Communion.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about Communion Forest initiative”The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the importance of de-carbonising heating on 6th February 2024, asking whether the government would refute speculation that they were considering a U-turn on this policy:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, as the Minister will know, net zero is impossible without decarbonising heating. The clean heat market mechanism is a crucial part of that. Does he recognise its importance? Will he refute media speculation that the Government are considering a U-turn on it? Will he make representations to boiler manufacturers that are unfairly passing these costs on to consumers?
Lord Douglas Miller (Con): Again, I will write to the right reverend Prelate in due course. I am doing rather a lot of writing today, am I not? This is a broad subject which I am slowly getting my head around.
The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 6th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what financial assistance they are providing to support projects undertaken by faith groups and others to support ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration internationally.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Norwich asks about assistance for faith groups working in conservation and environmental restoration”On 25th January 2024, the Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on sustainable farming, welcoming the sustainable farming incentive scheme and calling for a new regulatory framework around nature protection:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow a fellow tree planter, the noble Lord, Lord Robathan. I give a tree to every person I confirm as a sign of the care of God’s creation. I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Caithness, for securing this debate. I declare an interest as a member of Peers for the Planet and as a Church Commissioner.
Landowners and conservationists with whom I have spoken have broadly welcomed the changes to the sustainable farming incentive, not only the increased payment rates, which make uptake more attractive, but the new areas of action, the increased flexibility and the promise of a simpler, clearer and faster application service. Let us hope it does what is says on the new, streamlined tin. This better-rounded and more holistic agri-environmental scheme in England will undoubtedly see a greater uptake across all agricultural sectors. The tools are certainly in place to help deliver both sustainable food production and nature recovery.
In particular, I welcome the new emphasis on soil health. Being under our feet, we too often forget it, but soil is perhaps our greatest natural asset and the key to so much nature recovery. I am glad that the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, shares my enthusiasm for soil. Healthy soil supports a range of environmental, economic and societal benefits. These include food production, climate change mitigation and increased biodiversity. These vital soil functions are at risk from poor soil management or inappropriate land use, leading to soil degradation, soil compaction and soil erosion from wind and water. Ecological breakdown of our soils together with climate change are perhaps the primary threats to food security.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich welcomes sustainable farming incentives”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 22nd January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need to invest in infrastructure and technology to support food waste valorisation to reduce (1) greenhouse gas emissions, and (2) the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Lord Douglas-Miller (Con): New provisions in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended by the Environment Act 2021) will require all local authorities and relevant non-domestic premises in England to arrange for the collection of food waste for recycling. Our preference is for food waste to be separately collected for treatment by anaerobic digestion which produces biogas and significant carbon savings over sending food waste to landfill.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about reduction of food waste”The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on the impact of climate change on developing nations on 11th January 2024, focusing on the need for global investment and cooperation to support projects tackling climate change:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I too express my appreciation to the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, for securing this debate and congratulate my right reverend friend the Bishop of Winchester on his informative and passionate maiden speech.
The UK rightly has a distinguished record in overseas development aid and I look forward to the urgent return to the Government’s manifesto commitment of 0.7% of GDP being spent on it. There also needs to be transparency in new funding announcements about whether the funding is new money or comes from salami-slicing existing programmes. The priorities for climate change aid must be focused on three areas: mitigation, resilience and emergency response. I will look briefly at each in turn.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich calls for greater global investment and cooperation to tackle climate change”On 11th January 2024, The Bishop of Winchester made his maiden speech during a debate on the impact of climate change on developing nations, referencing the importance of both local and international approaches in tackling these issues, and linking to his previous work on freedom of religion and belief:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, I am conscious of the immense privilege that is mine to have a seat as of right in your Lordships’ House. I am very grateful for the welcome and help I have received from noble Lords and staff, both today and as I have been inducted into its ways.
The See of Winchester, which I serve, was founded in 660. In 838, at the Great Council of Kingston, King Ecgberht of Wessex entered into a compact with the Sees of Winchester and Canterbury, in return for their promise of support for his son Aethelwulf’s claim to the Throne. Aethelwulf was the father of Alfred the Great. That ancient compact was a key moment in the developing relationship between Church and state that has done so much to shape to the life of this country, as together we have sought the common good—and it is to that theme of the common good that I will return later.
I turn specifically to the matter of this debate. In looking at this issue of international development, I believe we must pay proper attention to two cardinal principles: internationalism and localism. It is vital that, as a country, we take an internationalist approach to international development. Global problems, including climate change, require global solutions, and nothing less will do. But, in all that, the local must not be lost. Effective development must always have purchase at the grass roots in specific contexts and communities, or it will be simply unsustainable.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester makes maiden speech on the topic of climate change and its effects on developing nations”On 10th January 2024, the Bishop of Norwich made a speech in support of the introduction of the Biodiversity Gain Site Register (Financial Penalties and Fees) Regulations, which institute a requirement for biodiversity net gain into grants for planning permission:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I welcome the two statutory instruments before us and the Minister’s helpful introduction. I declare an interest as a Church Commissioner and a member of Peers for the Planet.
Having an accurate register of biodiversity gain is of key importance as we move ahead with the Government’s commitment to nature recovery. There is only one parcel of land and it is increasingly being competed for. We eat from it, grow on it, live on it, move across it, build infrastructure over it, make things on it, extract things from under it, drink water that flows over it, breathe the air above it, sequester carbon in it and generate energy on it. The list goes on and on.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich speaks in support of Biodiversity Net Gain Regulations”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 10th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist farmers transitioning towards net zero; and what steps, if any, they are taking to (1) support carbon auditing on farms, (2) standardise carbon calculators, and (3) invest in water management infrastructure.
Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): We are taking a range of measures to support farmers’ transition to net zero. We are investing in a range of actions through farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship and Landscape Recovery. Our schemes will help farmers deliver environmental outcomes on the land they manage while helping their businesses become more productive and sustainable.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about steps taken to assist farmers in the transition to net zero”The Bishop of St Albans spoke in the King’s Speech debate on 13th November 2023 on the topic of rural affairs and the environment, and on several future bills mentioned in the speech:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition as set out in the register. That means that I want to reflect for a few moments on the environmental and rural dimensions of some of the legislation that will be coming our way over the coming year.
I will make a couple of preliminary comments. Back in 2015, His Majesty’s Government responded to the independent rural-proofing implementation review by the noble Lord, Lord Cameron of Dillington. Among the recommendations was that
“Defra Ministers should work with Cabinet Office to strengthen and improve rural proofing guidance when the impact of policies is being assessed, to ensure that rural policy impacts are given clear and robust attention”.
Continue reading “King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of St Albans speaks on rural affairs and the environment”
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