Bishop of Derby asks about role of faith based philanthropy in social impact

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on engagement with faith-based charities and social organisations during a discussion on the new Office for the Impact Economy on 17th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I am pleased to endorse the Government’s intentional investment in social impact, but may I ask the Minister how the new Office for the Impact Economy plans specifically to engage with faith-based organisations and faith-motivated individuals, including—but not exclusively—from the Christian community, to optimise the reach for common good of such faith-driven philanthropy?

Continue reading “Bishop of Derby asks about role of faith based philanthropy in social impact”

Church Commissioners Written Questions: LGBTQ+ Clergy

On 17th December 2025, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Clergy: LGBTQ+ People

Cat Smith MP (Lab, Lancaster and Wyre): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support (a) LGBTQ+ clergy and (b) people considering entering ministry.

Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: LGBTQ+ Clergy”

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendments on ocean pollution

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in support of amendments to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill aimed at responding to risks of plastic pollution in oceans and protection of deep seabed environments on 16th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I support Amendments 6, 8 and 10. I pay tribute to the Minister for the commitment that she is giving to the Bill. It is absolutely right that we align ourselves with the treaty and are able to be participants at the first Conference of the Parties. I thank her for the thoroughness with which she is going through it.

Continue reading “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendments on ocean pollution”

Bishop of Derby asks about preventing drug and alcohol addiction in young people

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on early intervention for young people towards preventing alcoholism and drug addiction, and funding for local councils to deliver this intervention on 16th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I welcome the continued investment of £185 million allocated to the rough sleeping drug and alcohol treatment programme from 2026 to 2029. But what progress has been made towards this Government’s safer streets and opportunity missions to improve support and early intervention, particularly for children and young people who are struggling with the dual crises of substance abuse and experiencing homelessness? Is this work one of the factors being used to determine which additional councils will receive this new funding?

Continue reading “Bishop of Derby asks about preventing drug and alcohol addiction in young people”

Bishop of Norwich asks about extension of oil and gas extraction in the North Sea

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 16th December 2025:

The Bishop of Norwich: To ask His Majesty’s Government how the proposed extension of existing gas and oil drilling in the North Sea aligns with calls arising from the Global Stocktake to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, as recommended by the Climate Change Committee.

Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about extension of oil and gas extraction in the North Sea”

Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Manchester raises point on safeguarding in private tutoring

The Bishop of Manchester raised a point on the inclusion of private music tuition under safeguarding regulations during a debate on the Crime and Policing Bill on 15th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, one area that is of great concern to me is private music tuition. I have had some pretty horrendous safeguarding cases to deal with in churches, where a church musician who has committed some serious offences has gone on to privately tutor underage pupils. That particular form of tuition—which is very often done privately, arranged by parents who see an advertisement on the internet or in a newspaper—needs to be included.

Continue reading “Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Manchester raises point on safeguarding in private tutoring”

Bishop of Derby asks about AI implementation standards for government and local authorities

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on maintaining high ethical standards for AI implementation by government and local authorities on 15th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, impressive work is already under way to drive technological innovation across local and regional government. Derby City Council was the first in the UK to introduce phone assistants powered by generative AI—they are called Darcie, Ali and Perrie; do come and ask me why they have those names if you want to know—to streamline call centre interactions with residents. I declare my interest as Bishop of Derby and a member of the Derby City Partnership board. How will the Minister’s department learn from best practice and pilot initiatives across local and regional government to ensure that AI implementation maintains inclusivity and high ethical standards in all sectors?

Continue reading “Bishop of Derby asks about AI implementation standards for government and local authorities”

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on prisons and prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in support of amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill focusing on healthcare for those in prison and safeguarding of prisoners under the bill on 12th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I will speak to these amendments because I want to make a new point. A very vulnerable population that we must continue to remember is the prison population. Although we will deal with the prison population more fully in the group coming up, we must remember that this Bill currently does not exclude prisoners from being eligible. That means we must consider how each issue is likely to play out in a prison setting.

As we have heard extensively, these amendments deal with two main issues: first, access to primary care; and, secondly, how well that primary care physician knows the details of your medical history. The first is very closely related to inequalities and making sure that those who have worse access to care are not more likely to choose assisted dying. The prison population are therefore a key group that must be considered, since their health and access to healthcare are worse than that of the general population. That is evidenced by the recently published report by the Chief Medical Officer.

Continue reading “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on prisons and prisoners”

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendments on impact of bill in border regions

On 12th December 2025, Bishop of Norwich spoke in support of amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill focused on ensuring training and resources given to GPs would also apply to Scotland in the event of the bill passing, and consideration of those living on the Scottish border:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I support Amendments 17 and 309A, proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Beith, and so ably explained by the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser. I declare an interest, in that my wife is a GP and a medical examiner—so the Bill has had much discussion at home.

Having spent 10 years living in Northumberland, and having friends who live along the Scottish border, I know that many of those living sufficiently close to the border have chosen very deliberately to be registered with a Scottish GP because they then receive free prescriptions. This raises a number of questions for the noble and learned Lord.

Continue reading “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendments on impact of bill in border regions”

Bishop of Manchester asks about UK Crisis and Resilience Fund

The Bishop of Manchester received the following written answer on 12th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Crisis and Resilience Fund will help local authorities to address the causes of financial crisis instead of the symptoms.

Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about UK Crisis and Resilience Fund”