Leicester – Page 5 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Leicester asks about welfare reform and child poverty

On 9th July 2025, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question on approaches to welfare provision and the need to tackle child poverty:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, reference has already been made to the Children’s Commissioner’s report published yesterday, which gives voice to the experiences of children and young people in poverty. It makes for harrowing reading, including one boy who was faced with the choice of going hungry or eating mouldy food, and many other such difficult stories. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that all the Government’s work on welfare will be based on the human dignity and equal value of every person in this country?

Bishop of Leicester asks about access to mental health services for minority-ethnic communities

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on steps to address inequality in communities on 8th May 2025, particularly for those whose first language is not English, during a discussion on mental health care:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, in my own city of Leicester, some excellent work is being done with minority-ethnic communities in particular to help with access to mental health services. Nevertheless, significant inequalities remain. What more is being done to address those inequalities, particularly as they relate to people whose first language is not English?

Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of reforms to disability benefits

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 28th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of reforms to incapacity and disability benefits on the employment rate of people with disabilities; and what plans they have to evaluate and monitor the impact of these reforms once they have been introduced.

Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of disability benefit reform

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answers on 22nd April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to evaluate the impact of disability benefits reform on the employment rate of people with disabilities.

Bishop of Leicester asks about impacts of welfare reform

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the government’s planned welfare reforms and the DWP’s report on a resultant increase in relevant poverty on 27th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I appreciate the work that the Government are doing to stimulate the economy and to get people back into work. I understand the dilemma that the Government face with the spiralling costs of welfare. But I am left to wonder: how is it that the DWP’s own impact assessment, which I understand includes the £1 billion investment that the Minister referred to, does also state that 250,000 people will be pushed into relative poverty, including 50,000 children? How can the Government of one of the richest countries in the world justify policies that push people into poverty?

Bishop of Leicester asks about reasonable adjustments in the workplace

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on reasonable adjustments for those with disabilities in the workforce on 9th January 2025, during a discussion on assessments of eligibility for benefits claimants:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, the Government have made clear their ambition to get more people with health conditions and disabilities into work. What plans are in place to ensure employers consistently implement the reasonable adjustments required of them in the Equality Act and do not discriminate against disabled people?

Bishop of Leicester encourages government to support interculturalism and welcome refugees, as demonstrated by the Ukraine scheme

On 25th October 2024, the Bishop of Leicester took part in a debate on the situation in Ukraine, promoting the use of the Ukraine scheme as a model to foster a sustainable way of welcoming all refugees and compassionately supporting their integration in the wider community:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, it is a sad truth that as wars go on, public attention often dissipates. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, and other noble Lords for reminding us that while coverage of the war in Ukraine has waned, daily suffering there has not, so our moral responsibility continues.

While others have focused on this responsibility in terms of military support, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on another very important and positive aspect of our response to the war, in the hope that the new Government will build on its successes. As noble Lords will be aware, the Ukraine family scheme and the Ukraine sponsorship scheme, set up in March 2022, were two of the only legal routes for people seeking asylum in the UK. More than 200,000 visas were issued to Ukrainians, and thousands of families from across the political spectrum offered their homes to those fleeing the war.

Bishop of Leicester asks about preventing delays of EHCPs for looked-after children

On 24th October 2024, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question preventing delays and unnecessary duplications when looked-after children move from one area to another and the new local authority is obligated to review their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP):

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, as I understand it, the situation for looked-after children—who, as we know, have a much higher proportion of EHCPs and SEND—is that, when they move from one area to another, the new local authority has to conduct a review of the EHCP. This causes further unnecessary delays. Can the Minister confirm that, as part of the review of current provision, this unnecessary duplication will be addressed?

Bishop of Leicester asks about the impact of the current benefits system on children

On 21st October 2024, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the impact of the current benefits system on children from lower-income families:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, in his review, Sir David Bell looked at the attainment gap between children from less privileged and more privileged backgrounds. Can the Government commit to ensuring that the ministerial taskforce on child poverty will look at the impact of the current benefits system on children from lower-income families?

Bishop of Leicester speaks in debate on sustainable development

The Bishop of Leicester took part in a debate on global conflict and the UN sustainable development goals on 17th October 2024, raising the need for increased understanding and cooperation across faith groups and communities:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord McConnell, for securing this debate in advance of the Budget, which is due to be delivered in a fortnight’s time. Undoubtedly, that Budget will involve difficult decisions and sacrifices. It is easy to lose sight of how very fortunate we are as a nation when compared with many others around the world.

As noble Lords have mentioned, the UN has warned that progress towards the sustainable development goals has ground to a halt and in some cases been reversed. Over the last year, the prospect of achieving the 16th sustainable development goal of

“peaceful and inclusive societies”

for sustainable development, and

“access to justice for all”

has seemed even further out of reach as war in the Middle East has become broader and deeper, and multiple conflicts in Africa have also worsened.

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