investments – The Church of England in Parliament

Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on institutional investment

On 3rd November 2025, The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill focused on institutional investment:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I noted what the noble Lord, Lord Evans, has just said. Unlike my predecessor, I have no intention of trying to petition for parts of the diocese of Chester to become parts of the diocese of Manchester, just because of the urban sprawl extending—but I rise to speak in favour of the amendment proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Fuller.

Bishop of St Albans asks about investment in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 26th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer from Baroness Gustafsson on 11 March (HL5279):

which rural partners they are engaging with as they design the industrial strategy.
whether they are meeting rural partners to discuss the industrial strategy; and if so, which rural partners they have met so far.

Bishop of St Albans asks about investment in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 11th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the forthcoming industrial strategy, Invest 2035, supports investment, infrastructure and productivity improvement in rural communities.

Bishop of St Albans highlights need for investment in rural communities

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on government priorities for rural communities on 15th October 2024, raising the need for concentrated investment in key sectors such as housing in rural areas:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh, for getting this debate and I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Elliott, on his excellent speech. I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition.

Rural communities make up nearly 20% of the population. That is similar to the number of people living in London, yet our biggest metropolis, among others, often feels far more integral to our policy and governance than our rural communities do. Rural communities are not just the responsibility of Defra; they are a significant proportion of our population, businesses, services and economy, and they cut across every government department. The specific impacts and challenges of policy rollout in rural areas need to be baked into the decision-making process of every single government department—not an afterthought but integral to the development of policy from the very beginning. Rural concerns are so often given to Defra which, while it has the lead on rural affairs, has very few of the levers necessary to bring about change. The sustainability of our rural communities should be of critical concern to us all, regardless of where we live.

Bishop of St Albans asks about risks of Chinese state investment in UK businessnes

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 20th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the purchase of UK businesses by funds owned by the state of China; and what safeguards exist to protect national security in this situation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con, Cabinet Office): As an open economy, the government welcomes foreign trade and investment, including from China, where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security.

Bishop of St Albans asks about investment in farming

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 18th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 24 July (HL9373), how much has been paid out as part of the Farming Investment Fund.

Lord Benyon (Con, DEFRA): The Farming Investment Fund (FIF) provides grants to farmers, foresters and growers (including contractors) to invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure that will help their businesses grow, whilst increasing farm productivity and environmental sustainability.

Bishop of Durham asks about government support for the electric car battery industry

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on government financial support for a site producing electric car batteries on 23rd January 2023, following a statement on the company Britishvolt entering administration:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, the Minister loves the north-east, just like I do, and has noted that this is an extremely suitable site. Is not part of the problem that the return on investment is a very long way forward, so will the Government consider upping the amount they are willing to commit upfront to enable production on this site?

Bishop of St Albans asks about investment education for young people

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on whether the government was promoting education on finances and investments for young people on 20th December 2022, during a debate on the regulation of cryptocurrencies:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, following the collapse of FTX there is great concern at just how volatile this sector is. Many young people presume that, because it is called a currency, it is more stable than it really is. I am told that, if you go online, you will find young people talking about eye-watering amounts of money that they have made and others have lost. What are His Majesty’s Government doing to educate younger people about proper investment understanding, so that they are aware of the risks they are taking if they enter this market?

Bishop of St Albans asks about pension funds

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:

what discussions they have had with the Pensions Regulator regarding the use of Liability Driven Investment by pension funds.
what assessment they have made of the risk to individuals from the practice of Liability Driven Investment by pension funds.

Bishop of St Albans speaks in a debate on the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill

On 14th June 2022, the House of Lords debated the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans spoke in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association and president of the Rural Coalition. I shall speak to Amendment 9, which stands in my name, but I also want to give my broad support to Amendments 6 and 7, which also deal with regional inequalities, and to echo the importance of getting biodiversity and nature into the Bill.

It is telling that London, as the most productive region of the UK, receives a larger per capita amount of public spending compared to other regions of the UK. Productivity relies as much on public investment as it does on private investment but, at the same time, it makes sense economically, from a private perspective, to invest in those areas that receive significant public backing, particularly in areas such as transport. The reality is that government transport spending by region remains heavily skewed towards London, at nearly double the UK average. Hence, it certainly holds that public expenditure is a significant contributory factor to productivity, even if other factors, such as economies of scale and private investment, also play their part.

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