poverty – Page 2 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans asks about debt advisory services

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th May 2025:

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

following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, Employment and financial difficulty, what assessment they have made of the levels of problem debt among full-time workers, and what measures they are taking to support full-time workers who are in financial difficulty
following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, In-person debt advice, what plans they have to address the scale of problem debt.
following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, In-person debt advice, what steps they are taking to expand access to and fund free debt advice services authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Bishop of Southwark asks about impact of US tariffs on vulnerable populations

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on the need to protect the vulnerable in the event of economic downturn on 3rd April 2025, following a government statement on UK-US trade and tariffs:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to the Secretary of State for his cautionary words in the other place, repeated here, about eschewing simplistic solutions and “loud voices”, following the imposition of these arbitrary and unwarranted tariffs, and to the shadow Secretary of State for advocating cool heads. That is vital.

Does the Minister agree that, if the impact of this very regrettable development is to depress economic activity—which is all too likely, sadly—there needs to be a priority assigned to protect the most vulnerable in this country from its effects? Will she further comment on any co-ordinated action with other countries to mitigate the effects on those territories, particularly in the Commonwealth, whose economic resilience is far less than our own?

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 Bristol asks about food security in low income households

The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on methods to address food provision in low income households on 10th March 2025, during a discussion on poverty in the UK:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, JRF has been publishing its analysis of the incidence and impact of poverty for more than 100 years. I have reason to be grateful for its analytical work, but I also see the impact of poverty in my own diocese: in our food banks, which continue to need to grow and are dependent on the voluntary efforts of so many; and in our schools. Our children are going hungry because insufficient income is coming into their homes. Can the Minister elaborate on steps the Government are taking to address the issue of food provision, such as raising household incomes—particularly in the context of the current discussion on benefits—and working with agencies to ensure that emergency food provision, which has sadly become so prevalent, is still available as a last resort?

Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2025: Bishop of Chelmsford speaks in committee

On 25th February 2025, the Bishop of Chelmsford spoke at a committee debate on the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, it is very good to be here today and I am glad to be able to contribute on this important subject. As we consider a proposed uprating of 1.7%, as compared with 6.8% last year and 10.1% the year before, I am mindful of the different backdrop to this year’s decision. We may no longer be in a period of soaring inflation, but costs remain high in just about every area of life. The discrepancy between the inflation rate from September 2024, by which most means-tested benefits will be uprated, and the current rate of 3% will be felt particularly by those who have not benefited from wage growth this year. This is a timely moment to explore social security as the Government set out their wider agenda in this area.

The manifesto commitments to review universal credit as a means of supporting people into work and addressing poverty and to produce a child poverty strategy could give us a basis on which to improve the lives of millions of people in our country. Indeed, bold action is required in both these areas and, like other noble Lords, I await the outcome of these reviews with keen interest.

Bishop of Newcastle asks about effects of loneliness on food bank usage, and financial viability of apprenticeships for young people

The Bishop of Newcastle receive the following written answers on 6th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address loneliness and social isolation as a root cause of foodbank usage following a recent report published by the Centre for Social Justice which found that over twice as many people who use foodbanks feel lonely most of the time compared to other adults.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about educational attainment gap

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published on 23 January, that of all entrants into first class undergraduate degrees in 2021–22, “just one per cent had a parent who was long-term unemployed or had never worked”; and what steps they are taking to reduce this educational attainment gap.

Bishop of St Albans asks about poverty and debt

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 24th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, with regard to the finding in the Christians Against Poverty report Under the rubble of debt and poverty, published in May, that 59 per cent of their new clients had incomes below the poverty line, what steps they will take to reduce the number of individuals living below this threshold.

Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): This government is committed to tackling poverty.

Bishop of Newcastle asks about child poverty and benefits system

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 24th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact that the five-week wait has on those awaiting their first Universal Credit payment.

Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): No assessment has been made of the financial impact of the 5-week-wait. The Government is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.

Bishop of Manchester asks about issue of holiday hunger for children

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the governments plans to tackle holiday hunger for children on 24th July 2024, raising the example of church projects offering support to children and families in school holidays:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: Something like seven out of every eight local authorities now use this money to alleviate holiday hunger among our children. Can we have any hope that the Government will look at a more strategic way of helping children cope with hunger during the school holidays? Many of the churches in my diocese, and those of my right reverend friends here, are having to put on voluntary projects to support children during those periods. What can we hope for?

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