The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 28th April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce material into the National Curriculum regarding the role of the United Kingdom in the creation of Council of Europe.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about education on UK role in the creation of the council of Europe”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 12th April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of jobs in South Yorkshire that are linked to the net-zero transition.
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The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on the possible introduction of a guardianship scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children on 26th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I declare an interest as the patron of ASSIST Sheffield, a charity which supports refugees and asylum seekers in our city of sanctuary. What consideration has the Minister given to the introduction of a guardianship scheme, such as the one piloted in Scotland, to provide specialist support to unaccompanied children seeking asylum—not least given their acute vulnerability if accommodated in hotels?
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The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on investment in Doncaster Sheffield airport on 26th March 2025, during a discussion on the recent closure of Heathrow airport due to a electricity substation fire
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, last week’s events surely demonstrate how urgently we need strong regional transport infrastructure to complement and supplement airports in and around London. To that end, I am deeply grateful to the Government for their public commitment to the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. At the risk of a different stretch, can the Minister reassure the House that the Government will deliver on that commitment by ensuring adequate financial investment to support the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and the City of Doncaster Council in getting flights off the ground once again?
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about investment in Doncaster-Sheffield airport”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 17th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, following the recent announcement of the diversion of funds from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to the defence budget, whether they plan to decrease the proportion of ODA spent on in-donor refugee support.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about overseas development aid”The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on the Hereditary Peers Bill on 12th March 2025, opposing amendments that would reduce the number of Lords Spiritual in the House Lords:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I am sorry to disappoint the noble Lord, Lord Moore, in the fact that the Bench of Bishops is briefly going to speak up on its own behalf. He may be surprised, as may many noble Lords opposite, that in the first eight months of the current Parliament the Bishops have voted 29 times, and only five times with the Labour Government. The Bishops are not party political; we really do seek to improve and scrutinise legislation. That is by the way.
I am grateful for the opportunity offered by this range of amendments to address some of the concerns expressed by Members of this Committee about the place and role of those of us who serve on these Benches. Although we are not whipped and do not have a party line, the Lords spiritual are pretty much all of one mind that your Lordships’ House would benefit from some reform, not least to do with numbers and patronage. As noble Lords would expect, we believe that a reformed House of Lords should include Lords spiritual and should continue to reflect the present constitutional arrangement.
Continue reading “Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of Sheffield outlines opposition to amendments reducing number of Lords Spiritual”On 11th March 2025, the Bishop of Sheffield spoke in support of amendment 13 to the Football Governance Bill which would ensure that football clubs comply with the Climate Change Act 2008:
My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 13, to which I have added my name. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, for tabling this significant addition to the Bill.
Continue reading “Football Governance Bill: Bishop of Sheffield supports amendment on Climate Change Act compliance”On 11th March 2025, the House of Lords debated the Football Governance Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
The Bishop of Sheffield tabled a question on the topic of access to legal aid for asylum seekers on 23rd January 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the availability and accessibility of legal aid for asylum seekers.
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and declare my interest as a patron of the ASSIST charity in Sheffield.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about legal aid for asylum seekers”The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on government policy on housing asylum seekers in hotels on 20th January 2025, raising instances from his own diocese, the need for better integration of asylum seekers into communities, and the cost of hotel accommodation:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I declare an interest as the patron of the charity ASSIST Sheffield. In the interests of time, I will limit my remarks to three key points.
First, there is the question of safety. One of the communities I serve as the Bishop of Sheffield is Rotherham. Noble Lords may recall how, in August last year, a group of asylum seekers living at the Holiday Inn in Manvers were deliberately targeted, in an incident that led to criminal convictions for over 60 men. The following month, at the request of the Mayor of South Yorkshire, I arranged for one of the churches in Sheffield, Christ Church Fulwood, to offer sanctuary for the day, free of charge, to a group of asylum seekers because there were fears that their hotel could be subject to a similar attack. Quite simply, it subjects asylum seekers to danger if they are placed in hotels in visible numbers. Dispersed accommodation offers greater protection and, for that reason, we should move to that provision as swiftly as possible.
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