The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 22nd April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with the European Union about the Memorandum of Understanding on Sustainable Raw Materials Value Chains that the EU signed with the government of Rwanda on 19 February 2024.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about EU Agreement with Rwanda on natural resources”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th July 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made, if any, of how many preventable hospitalisations have occurred as a result of medication shortages caused by Brexit.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): The medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global. Supply disruption is an issue which affects the United Kingdom as well as the other countries around the world, and it can have a variety of causes, including manufacturing issues, problems with access to raw ingredients, and sudden spikes in demand.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about effects of drug shortages caused by exiting the EU”On 29th March 2023, the House of Lords debated a motion to approve the Windsor Framework (Democratic Scrutiny) Regulations. A vote was held on an amendment to the motion, in which a Bishop took part:
The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the funding available to UK science following the loss of funding from programmes such as Erasmus and EU Horizon, following a question on the losses from leaving the Horizon programme on 23rd February 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am hearing what has been said about the EU not following through on its commitments, but our own Government have not done so. Look at the Erasmus programme. Promises were made that, in the interim, facilities would be put in place and there would be no deficit, but there clearly has been. Can the Minister tell us when the scientific community and academia will have some certainty, which is what they need?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about funding for UK academia and sciences”On 7th July 2022 the House of Lords debated a motion from the Earl of Clancarty, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the ability of musicians and other creative professionals from the United Kingdom to work and tour in the European Union.”
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, like others, I thank the noble Earl for bringing us this debate. Noble Lords would expect a Bishop of Manchester to be passionate about music. Our vibrant popular and contemporary music scene is central to our local economy. The Royal Northern College of Music is one of our universities and we also have the leading music school for the north of England in Chetham’s, whose campus is next door to my cathedral and provides many of our choristers. We recently dedicated a brand-new, £2 million cathedral organ. It was the donation of a single—as it happens, Jewish—businessman, Sir Norman Stoller. Our music matters to us in Manchester. We invest in it and in the diverse young people developing their skills in it. It is a great force for levelling up.
Continue reading “Church “has been levelling up the arts for centuries”: Bishop of Manchester on support for arts and music”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th July 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government why (1) the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (No. 1012), and (2) the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (No. 579), are not included in the Cabinet Office’s Retained EU Law dashboard.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the retained EU Law Dashboard (REUL)”On 19th May 2021 the Bishop of Leeds spoke in the House of Lords in the fifth and final day of debate on the Queen’s Speech. He focused on ethics, the EU and Russia.
My Lords, I am grateful to follow the Noble Lord Campbell and for the Noble Lady the Minister’s comprehensive and ambitious speech introducing this debate. I welcomed the Government’s Integrated Review as a necessary attempt to hold together the diverse interests, challenges and opportunities facing the UK in the future.
One of the things I learned in my early career as a linguist at GCHQ was that words and assumptions need to be interrogated as they can be used to obscure reality. For example, in our context, an increased “cap” on nuclear weapons tells us nothing about numbers that might actually be intended or the rationale for them.
So, I think it was remarkable that reference in the Review to the European Union was almost completely missing. Now, this had been widely predicted as it seems that, for the Government, any such reference might be heard as an ideological Remainer capitulation. Yet, the rationale for a tilt towards the Indo-Pacific only makes sense to a point: it is not just what we are “tilting towards” that matters, but also what we are “tilting away from” that has to be considered.
Continue reading “Queen’s Speech – Bishop of Leeds on foreign policy ethics, EU and Russia”The Bishop of Leeds tabled a question on new restrictions on UK Citizens working in the EU and the effects of these restrictions on clergy on 13th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of new (1) visa, and (2) residence, permit regimes for United Kingdom citizens working in the European Union on the numbers of Church of England clergy securing such permits.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about impact of EU visa restrictions on clergy”
The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on contested ideas of sovereignty on 1st March 2021 during a discussion on diplomatic relationships with the US, contrasting portrayals of the UK’s relationship with the EU and with the United States:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, notions of sovereignty are clearly contested, even in the way we use the language. Is it time for a public education programme through which the Government can explain why pooled sovereignty with the EU is a deficit for the UK but when it is pooled with the United States, it is seen as a positive?
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about issues of sovereignty in relation to the EU and the USA”On 8th September 2020 in the House of Lords Government Minister Lord True responded to a question from the Opposition frontbench on the prospects for a Brexit trade deal in October, and the upholding of the Northern Ireland protocol in the withdrawal agreement should a deal not be agreed. The Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, given the concerns in the House about any attempt to derogate from an international treaty and the implications for the peace process in Northern Ireland, will the Minister confirm that the Government are aware that any attempt unilaterally to modify the terms of the withdrawal agreement will adversely affect the confidence of EU citizens resident here, and of British citizens resident in EU countries, in the United Kingdom’s commitments under the agreement, if treaty commitments may be set aside?
What can the Minister say to reassure both categories under these circumstances, other than to undertake to honour the treaty in full? Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark says failure of Government to honour international treaty means EU and UK nationals need new reassurances”
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