Tag: London

Bishop of London responds to government statement on building safety

The Bishop of London asked for clarification on whether the government would bring forward legislation to ensure that polluters would pay for building issues, during a debate following a government statement on building safety on 11th January 2022:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, like many others, I welcome this Statement, because clearly, it is a move in the right direction. I too pay tribute to those who have campaigned with tenacity to try to resolve what is an awful situation for people’s lives. I may just be slow, but I would really appreciate the Minister clarifying whether the Government will bring forward legislation in the Building Safety Bill to ensure that the polluter pays, and not the taxpayer or the leaseholder.

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Health & Care Bill: Bishop of London advocates for improved funding for mental health services

On 11th January 2022, the Bishop of London spoke in support of a group of amendments to the Health and Care Bill aimed at addressing shortfalls in mental health funding:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lords who have tabled the amendments in this group. I am very aware of the expertise that exists within this Chamber. As we have heard, mental health has not always been funded in the same way as physical health. However, we have seen improvements, not least in the way we speak about our own mental well-being. We have seen a reduction in stigma and an improvement in services, but the pandemic has taught us that there is a huge unmet need around mental health, and I suspect we will not know the full impact of the pandemic for a number of years. Clearly, those groups of people requiring support around their mental health will include us and our children as well as our health and social care workers.

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Health & Care Bill: Bishop of London supports greater advocacy for patients

On 11th January 2022, the House of Lords debated the Health & Care Bill in committee. The Bishop of London spoke in the debate, supporting stronger voices for patients in the NHS, particularly in governing boards:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I declare my background as a former government Chief Nursing Officer and non-executive director of a number of healthcare trusts. I was not going to speak, but I have listened to noble Lords’ comments today and I come down with the noble Baroness, Lady Harding, in saying that we should not stipulate what skills are required of a board too tightly. What is in front of organisations changes over time, so the chair needs to be empowered to change. However, one caveat is that it would be wise to consider having somebody on the board with a background in patients. I speak from experience as a clinical professional: we can too easily forget the patient and to see things through their eyes. Far too often, we see things through the eyes of the clinician, which is not always in the best interest of patients.

Hansard

Nationality and Borders Bill: Bishop of London speaks on modern slavery provisions

On 5th January 2022, the House of Lords debated the Nationality and Borders Bill in its second reading. The Bishop of London spoke in the debate, welcoming some provisions in the bill whilst expressing concerns that it might have a counterproductive effect on protections against modern slavery:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the many noble Lords in this House who bring such expertise to our deliberations and compassion to our scrutiny of this Bill. I wish to focus my remarks particularly on Part 5 of the Bill, on modern-day slavery. It has been said that the Modern Slavery Act was a pioneering piece of legislation. 

I would agree with that, but there is so much more work for us to do to confront this blight on our communities. Addressing modern-day slavery is close to the Church of England’s heart. Through the Clewer Initiative and other programmes, we have worked to raise awareness and to support survivors. This is a matter in which civil society, law enforcement and government share a joint responsibility to act.

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Bishop of London speaks on need to improve housing standards in the UK

The Bishop of London spoke in a debate following a motion to take note: “That this House takes note of the situation of leaseholders who are facing substantial bills for fire and building safety remediation work; and of the need for safe, green and affordable housing” tabled on 4th November 2021, arguing for greater protection to leaseholders:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Stunell, for securing this debate, and I thank the noble Lord who will speak after me. It has been four years, four months and 20 days since the Grenfell Tower fire. On the 14th day of every month, Grenfell survivors and their loved ones walk around the remains of Grenfell Tower to signal that they are yet to receive justice for what has happened.

Many in the other place allowed the Fire Safety Bill to pass on the promise that the issues relating to the remediation of unsafe buildings would be dealt with comprehensively and thoroughly in the Building Safety Bill. However, the Bill has just completed Committee in the other place and the Government have yet to set out how they intend to deal with the unaffordable costs faced by leaseholders for interim safety measures and the remediation of unsafe buildings.

The Government’s reannouncement of £5 billion for the removal of unsafe cladding only raised concerns for those affected. The Red Book notes that £3 billion will be spent over the spending review period up to the end of March 2025. Can the Minister tell the House when he expects all dangerous cladding will have been removed?

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Bishop of London asks about safe stopping places for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities

The Bishop of London tabled a question on the availability of places for Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Communities to stop on 4th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the availability of places for nomadic Gypsies and Travellers to legally and safely stop; and what plans they have to address any identified shortage of places.

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Bishop of London asks about eco-friendly transport methods

The Bishop of London asked a question on maintenance of electric car charging points and cooperation between transport suppliers on 4th November 2021, during a debate on the abolition of temporary cycling lanes in London:

The Lord Bishop of London: The Prime Minister recently announced his desire to invest £1 billion to boost electric car usage. Given the push for cleaner and greener travel, will Her Majesty’s Government first address the number of faulty charging points for electric cars in London and, secondly, promote co-operation among suppliers, so that potential users are not dissuaded by the current requirement to download multiple apps from multiple companies?

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Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of London adds support to amendments aimed at protecting sites for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Communities

The House of Lords debated amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill in committee on 3rd November 2021. During the debate, the Bishop of London spoke in support of amendments which would limit police powers relating to the proposed offence of criminal trespass, which would have particular effect on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and the sites used by these communities:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I have listened with interest to what noble Lords have said on this group of amendments, and I rise to add my support to them, particularly Amendment 149.

In 2019, the General Synod, the parliament of the Church of England, held a serious and lengthy debate on the treatment of Gypsy, Roma and Travelling communities. It noted the long and ugly history, going back at least as far as the Egyptians Act, passed by your Lordships’ predecessors in 1530, which sought to ban further immigration from Romani Gypsies and to deport resident Gypsies.

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Bishop of London asks about increased funding for public health nursing

The Bishop of London asked a question on whether the government would increase funding for public health nurses in communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2nd November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, during my time as the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England I witnessed the unique value of public health nurses in the community. The pandemic has further highlighted the importance of such roles and the significance of a whole-system approach. Given this, will Her Majesty’s Government consider increasing funding specifically to build up or rebuild the capacity of public health nurses to tackle localised health inequalities?

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Bishop of London asks about effects of Long COVID:

The Bishop of London received the following written answers on 20th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of London asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to reports that long-COVID disproportionately affects women, what consideration they have given to the production of gender-sensitive guidelines for primary care professionals.

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