Norwich – Page 8 – The Church of England in Parliament

Support for Infants and Parents Bill: Bishop of Norwich welcomes legislation

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate introducing the Support for Infants and Parents Bill on 6th September 2024, welcoming the bill and referencing the work of the Archbishop’s Commission on Families and Households:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I apologise to noble Lords for speaking in the gap. I did not expect to contribute today, but listening to the contributions so far, I was struck by the crossover with work underway by the Church and the Mothers’ Union, particularly when the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, mentioned the role of churches and faith communities.

I welcome the Bill and congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, and the right honourable Dame Andrea Leadsom on their work on this issue. Churches across the country offer support to new families and parents, providing spaces for parents to meet, share experiences and be directed to support, if needed. They provide child development services through toddler and children groups, which are essential for the formation of children before they start nursery or reception classes in school. Through Messy Church and these toddler groups, hundreds of churches are already implementing many of The Best Start for Life recommendations. Churches are delivering perhaps more than 18 of the 24 recommendations and are often partnering with local authorities to develop joint working on issues that affect all our communities.

Bishop of Norwich asks about impact of construction of the Norwich West Link dual-carriageway

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 13th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government:

what discussions they have had with (1) Natural England, and (2) Norfolk County Council, about the proposed construction of the Norwich West Link.
further to the Natural England report Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for barbastelle bat, published on 8 March, which placed “favourable conservation status” on barbastelle bats present in the area of the Norwich Western Link, what assessment they have made of the viability of the construction of the Norwich West Link.

Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendments on protecting marine environments and worker mobility

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a committee debate on the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill on 23rd April 2024, supporting amendments on safeguarding marine protected areas, and the establishment of skills passports to aid in worker mobility to new industries:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I rise to support all the amendments in this group but I will focus my comments on Amendment 10 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Willis, and Amendment 2 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, to which I have added my name in support. I would also value hearing the rest of this debate.

On Amendment 10, I reiterate the question I asked at Second Reading: what steps are His Majesty’s Government taking to safeguard marine protected areas, and why are they not taking the IUCN’s recommendations seriously by excluding MPAs from extraction in the Bill?

I will not rehearse the valuable arguments that the noble Baroness, Lady Willis, has already made on whether we have a robust regulatory framework on MPAs. From the evidence she has provided, I am greatly concerned about whether that is the case. Certainly, the new Rosebank field overlaps with the Faroe-Shetland MPA—a fragile ecosystem and marine environment. Excluding MPAs from the licensing rounds altogether would ensure their protection and that is why I support Amendment 10.

Bishop of Norwich takes part in debate on industrial regeneration in urban areas

The Bishop of Norwich made a speech during a debate on regeneration of industrial areas on 7th March 2024, calling for greater investment in and engagement with communities to help drive local regeneration:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, the place that shaped me most as a priest in the Church of England was the parish of Holy Trinity North Ormesby in Middlesbrough at the turn of the millennium, so it was a simple delight and joy to hear the noble Baroness, Lady Chapman, speak about so many places that I know, from South Bank to Maske.

North Ormesby is set among derelict land, chemical plants and the distant smoke, sound and smell of the coke and steel furnaces. It is a place that taught me so much about resilience and survival, as well as about the strength of community, even when the stuffing had been knocked out of it. The people there taught me about acceptance and that each day was filled with little blessings. But I also learned about poverty and the impact of damp houses, as well as about health inequalities that meant that, if you lived six miles away, on average you lived another decade.

In all the indices, that community still comes out as being among the poorest, most ill, most unemployed and most unskilled, as well as having the lowest educational attainment and the worst air quality of wards in this nation. But the people I lived alongside in that community have warm and large hearts, despite the challenging context. The church was at the centre of its long-term regeneration, successfully building the Trinity Centre—a place for support, learning, faith and fun, it said. It was funded by the single regeneration budget and the neighbourhood renewal fund, but also, crucially, by many small grant-making trusts—and a local couple who one day knocked on the vicarage door with £1,000 of their savings because they believed in what we were doing. We gave confidence to the local authority and a housing association to invest in that community when others simply walked away.

Bishop of Norwich responds to government statement on security of elected officials

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in response to a government statement on the security of elected representatives on 29th February 2024, asking how the model of disagreeing agreeably could be applied in government:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating this important Statement. The protection that will be offered to our elected representatives is vital, because this is a period of time of immense concern. As has already been mentioned, the impact, particularly on women and women of UKME heritage, both in person and online, is deeply troubling, as is the abuse suffered by Muslim and Jewish colleagues. Anti-Semitism has been said to be a “light sleeper”, but it is very much wide awake at this time, and a lot of Islamophobia is built on immense ignorance and stereotyping of people.

Bishop of Norwich asks about government plans to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 26th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty.

Bishop of Norwich asks about amount of development aid spent on ecosystem conservation

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answers on 26th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked what proportion of Official Development Assistance has been spent on ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration and tree planting internationally in the last five years, and what proportion of Official Development Assistance is forecast to be spent in these areas in the next budget period.

Bishop of Norwich asks about development assistance rates

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government, following the Autumn Statement 2023, what assessment they have made of the suitability of the economic climate to enable them to return Official Development Assistance to 0.7 per cent of gross national income.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con, Treasury): The government remains committed to returning to a target of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when, on a sustainable basis, the government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling.

Hansard

Bishop of Norwich asks about Communion Forest initiative

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 12th February 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Communion Forest, an initiative comprising local activities of tree growing and ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration undertaken by parishes, dioceses and provinces across the Anglican Communion.

Bishop of Norwich calls for resourcing of medics and hospitals to address humanitarian situation in Gaza

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on the situation in Gaza on 8th February 2024, asking that the government give greater support to medics in Gaza and Israel to facilitate resupplying of hospitals in order to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I visited Gaza on 4 October, just three days before Hamas’s evil attacks, to see the Anglican-run 80-bed al-Ahli hospital. The World Health Organization reported on Tuesday that there are 150 patients there—all are critically ill. Everyone is fearful, stressed and exhausted. Medical staff have been detained, shackled and blindfolded by the IDF, and, on release, they are deposited in Rafah and not allowed to return to the hospital. There is an urgent need for medical staff, fuel, food and critical medical supplies, such as bone stabilisers, antibiotics and anaesthetics, across Gaza’s hospitals. Will His Majesty’s Government hear the cries of medics in Gaza and press the State of Israel for the WHO to have sustained access to resupply hospitals across the Gaza Strip so that they can continue to function?

Hansard

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