The Bishop of St Albans moved his Coroners (Determination of Suicide) Bill in the House of Lords on 19th November 2021, and gave a speech outlining the purpose of the bill, which focuses on gambling-related suicide:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: That the Bill now be read a second time.
My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-chair of Peers for Gambling Reform. The focus of this Bill is on gambling-related suicide; indeed, I have heard one Member of your Lordships’ House describe it as a “gambling Bill”. It is no secret that gambling reform is a major concern of mine, but I start by stressing that the scope of the Bill extends far beyond gambling-related suicides and can include a wide range of factors that contribute to death by suicide.
I will give some background to set the scene. Under the current legislative framework in England and Wales, once a suspected suicide is reported, the death is classified as “sudden and unexplained” until an official determination is made. The coroner is then required to undertake an inquest alongside a jury to make a determination as to the cause of death and whether the death is to be registered as a suicide—a process that often takes up to six months from the confirmed date of death of the deceased.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans moves his Coroners (Determination of Suicide) Bill”
The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I am disappointed that significant parts of this statement read as if they were written by the gambling industry.
On 5th March 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on gambling-related suicides:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: 
On 16th January 2020 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, introduced a Private Member’s Bill to the House of Lords. The Bill received its formal First Reading and awaits time for debate. 
The Church of England in Parliament 
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