The Bishop of Hereford tabled a question on ensuring that agricultural policies improve the profitability and long-term viability of small farming enterprises on 1st December 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that agricultural policies improve the profitability and long-term viability of small farming enterprises.
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The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the viability of safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK on 20th November 2025, during a discussion on the government’s asylum policy:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I declare an interest as a participant in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Three and a half years on, we have a delightful Ukrainian family still living in our house. In the section of the report on safe and legal routes, the options in the policy document include a route to safety for students and skilled workers. Such schemes may be a useful adjunct to sufficient open safe and legal routes, but does the Minister share my concern that, in a world where safe and legal routes are limited, we may send a message that young, healthy, skilled people are more deserving of sanctuary than others?
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about impact of new immigration regulations on refugees”The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on sustainable sources of hydrogen fuel on 19th November 2025, during a discussion on the hydrogen and fuel cell energy industry in the UK:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, we accept that the use of hydrogen is to help us to reduce our carbon footprint but recognise that there are a variety of different ways by which that hydrogen can be generated, some of which are environmentally damaging. What steps are His Majesty’s Government taking to ensure that the hydrogen used across UK industry is sourced sustainably and in ways that will reduce CO2 emissions, not increase them?
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about sustainable hydrogen fuel sources”The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on methods for ascertaining public opinion on finance decisions during a discussion on press briefings regarding the budget:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, over the last few months not only have the bond markets been affected by this speculation, but people have made life-changing financial decisions, in part fuelled by speculation rooted in private government press briefings. These decisions may prove to be unwise when the Government’s actual decisions are revealed. Have the Government considered other, less damaging means of gauging public opinion than fishing through the media?
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about methods of engagement with the public on finance decisions”On 9th July 2025, the House of Lords debated the Hereditary Peers Bill in report. Votes were held on an amendment to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
The Bishop of Hereford spoke in a debate on the effects of the government’s economic measures on farming and rural communities on 3rd April 2025, noting the current low morale among farmers and urging the government to listen to their concerns:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, for introducing this important debate. I speak as the Bishop of the most rural diocese in the Church of England.
Agriculture provides significant employment and is extremely diverse, from substantial agribusinesses to small family farms, and from large arable enterprises to small livestock hill farms. Prior to ordination, I worked as an agronomist, advising farmers on all aspects of crop production, translating scientific research into the practical solutions commended by the noble Lord, Lord Carrington. I have the privilege this year of being president of the Three Counties Show at Malvern, an event I warmly commend to noble Lords as a splendid day out.
However, over 40 years of involvement in the sector, I can honestly say that I have never seen morale so low nor such disillusionment with the Government’s capacity to understand and respond to the needs of the agricultural industry. A thriving agri-farming industry is essential to the wider health of the rural economy. Family farms are at the heart of this ecology. The inevitable consolidation of units that will ensue from proposed changes in APR and BPR will have huge knock-on effects on support industries, lead to rural depopulation and undermine the viability of many local services and businesses.
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford raises issue of morale among farmers and those in rural communities”On 2nd December 2024, the Bishop of Hereford tabled a question on government steps to improve food security:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve food security.
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab, DEFRA): My Lords, the Labour Government have committed £5 billion to the agricultural budget over the next two years, which is the biggest budget for sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our history. The uplift to £1.8 billion, in 2025-26, for environmental land management schemes will boost food security and accelerate the transition to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. We are also investing £60 million to support farmers who were affected by the unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter.
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about food security”The Bishop of Hereford spoke in the second reading debate on the Home Education Registration and Support Bill on 15th November 2024, raising the issue of rural schooling and the need to support vulnerable children such as those with SEND:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, I have not done home education myself. My only experience was standing over my own sons for long hours encouraging a more focused approach to their GCSE revision. This only affirmed my admiration for those who actively choose to home educate their children.
I commend the noble Lord, Lord Storey, for placing the welfare of children at the heart of the Bill. There is some resistance to the idea of compulsory registration in the home-education community, as set out in new Section 436B. There is also disquiet about the content of the proposed register, as set out in new Sections 436C and 436D, which is seen as an example of state overreach. While I support the overall thrust of the noble Lord’s Bill, I hope that further work will be done to clarify the limits of the information recorded and the provision of safeguards to protect parental rights. The proposals for registration and support in the Bill should allow a better collaborative approach between home educators and education professionals.
Continue reading “Home Education Registration and Support Bill: Bishop of Hereford raises rural schooling and SEND”The Bishop of Hereford received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the review by Colin Bloom Does government ‘do God?’ An independent review into how government engages with faith, published on 26 April 2023, in particular, the recommendation that “more could be done to resource and equip policy makers and officials to increase their level of awareness and discernment regarding intrafaith issues concerning exploitation and abuse”; and what steps they are taking in response.
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about government approach to intrafaith issues and community relations”The Bishop of Hereford received the following written answer on 23rd May 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 May (HL4028), why they do not keep records on individuals who are not British citizens who have had their visitor or other visas rescinded because of criminal activities associated with public order offences since 7 October 2023.
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