Southwell and Nottingham – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham speaks on importance of funding for local authorities to support and provide for children in their care

On 18th April 2024, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham also spoke in the debate on children in local authority care in the UK, on themes of early intervention and support for foster carers, and the need for more funding for local authorities to ensure this:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Laming, for bringing this important debate forward and for the very compelling case that he set out in his introduction. I am also grateful for the immensely valuable contributions made by other Members.

It is surely one of the primary tests of a civil society that, where it is necessary for a child or young person to be brought into care, the very best outcomes are made possible through the quality and consistency of that care, whatever financial constraints arise in the economic cycle. So many outcomes later in life are directly related to childhood experience. That is why it should be an all-party commitment that money for children’s services should be ring-fenced, including those that enable vital early help and intervention, as the noble Lord, Lord Laming, the noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, and other noble Lords expressed so well.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about limiting solar plants on agricultural land

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 26th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to limiting the size of solar plants in areas of best and most versatile agricultural land.

Lord Callanan (Con, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero): Planning policy and associated guidance set out that the effective use of land should be prioritised by directing large scale solar projects to locate on previously developed and non-greenfield land.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about effectives of dredging rivers and waterways

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 12th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of dredging rivers and waterways while balancing environmental and habitat considerations; and, in particular, what assessment they have made of how effective this would be for the River Trent.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about use of a register for home educated children

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 10th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 19 December 2023, what consideration they have given to expediting the introduction of a statutory register of children schooled at home and online, given the rise in those numbers, in order to identify children (1) who are at risk, or (2) who have unmet needs.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about agriculture subsidies

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham received the following written answer on 10th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to permitting farmers transitioning from Basic Payments to Delinked Payments to discount one or more of the years in the reference period as a result of (1) events outside their control, or (2) a mistake; and whether they intend to review and amend the Agriculture (Delinked Payments and Consequential Provisions) (England) Regulations 2023 in this regard.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham raises issue of targeting of Anglican hospital and church in Gaza by Israeli forces

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the targeting of the Anglican Al-Ahli Hospital and the Holy Family Church in Gaza by Israeli forces on 19th December 2023, calling for recognition of Gaza’s Christian community and the prompt release of detained hospital staff:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: I am grateful to the Minister for his comments so far. I want to raise two specific incidents with His Majesty’s Government that are of particular concern to these Benches.

News arrived overnight of the actions of the Israel Defense Forces in destroying the entrance wall of the Anglican Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, closing that facility, detaining most of its staff and leaving a tank on the rubble. The second incident relates to comments made by the deputy mayor of Jerusalem on LBC radio this morning, where she was questioned about a sniper attack on two Christian women in the compound of the Holy Family Church. She said that there were no Christians or churches in Gaza and that they have been “driven out by Hamas”. There remains a small, yet highly visible, Christian community in Gaza, which is very notably engaged in the provision of Gaza’s healthcare facilities.

Data Protection & Digital Information Bill: Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham emphasizes importance of public trust in institutions

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham spoke in a debate at the second reading of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill on 19th December 2023, pointing out the importance of public trust in institutions handling personal data:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I too welcome the noble Lord, Lord de Clifford. I pay tribute to his maiden speech and thank him for his insightful and valuable contribution to this debate. I also look forward to many future occasions on which he will contribute to the work of this House.

As the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans has said, we on these Benches recognise that high-quality data is crucial to creating and sustaining a healthy and efficient society. However, it is vital to get the balance right between ownership, access, control, and legitimate use of that data. Human flourishing should be at the front of regulating how data is used and reused. As we said in our written response to the Government’s 2020 data consultation:

“Fundamentally, the church welcomes any technology that augments human dignity and worth, while staunchly resisting any application of data that undermines that dignity. Questions of efficiency and cost-effectiveness are subsidiary to questions about how the types and uses of data will promote human flourishing in society and best practice in public bodies”.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about funding to assist voluntary and charitable efforts to combat homelessness

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on increased funding to assist the homeless, and to support efforts by the charitable & voluntary sector to do so, during a debate on rates of homelessness during Christmas on 18th December 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, like many places, Nottingham is suffering from the cost of living crisis, fuel and food poverty, a decline of social housing and a growing shortage of private rented sector properties, which is compounded by the shortfall between the local housing allowance and rents. Framework Housing Association and Emmanuel House do exceptional work, together with the city council, in seeking to help the 10,000 people on the waiting list with an unmet housing need, alongside the street homeless. But the rising demand for social care and increased homelessness have contributed to the council issuing a Section 114 notice. If His Majesty’s Government agree that the charitable and voluntary sector is such a key partner in addressing these needs, can the Minister offer more direct funding to help the homeless in cities such as Nottingham?

Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham urges access for medical supplies to enter Gaza following bombing of the Al-Ahli hospital

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the airstrike on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on 19th October 2023, highlighting the need for medical supplies and aid to be allowed entry to Gaza and calling for hospitals to be protected:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: I am grateful to the Minister for highlighting the very real connections that there are between the Anglican Church and the hospital. The Al-Ahli hospital is run by the Anglican province of Jerusalem, as he knows, and built around the sacred and historic St Philip’s church, which was subject to such an horrendous incident on Tuesday. We grieve with all those who grieve the suffering and the innocent deaths in Israel and Gaza arising from the atrocious attack by Hamas.

Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about impact of NHS waiting times

On 19th October 2023, the Bishop of & Nottingham asked a question on the impact of long NHS waiting times on children and families:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: My Lords, the delays in treatment for long-term sickness do not just affect those returning to work but have a secondary impact on family life. Have the Government assessed the effect of these delays on children and young people under 18, who frequently take on additional caring responsibilities for parents with long-term sickness, although this is often detrimental to their education and their emotional and mental health?

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