Lord Bishop of Derby

Bishops - Bishops

Became Member: 29th March 2010

Left House: 31st August 2018 (Retired)


Lord Bishop of Derby is not a member of any APPGs
Sexual Violence in Conflict Committee
11th Jun 2015 - 22nd Mar 2016
Draft Modern Slavery Bill
15th Jan 2014 - 3rd Apr 2014
Draft Modern Slavery Bill (Joint Committee)
15th Jan 2014 - 3rd Apr 2014


Division Voting information

Lord Bishop of Derby has voted in 25 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lord Nash (Conservative)
(4 debate interactions)
Lord Bates (Conservative)
(4 debate interactions)
Baroness Warsi (Non-affiliated)
(3 debate interactions)
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Department Debates
Home Office
(25 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(13 debate contributions)
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Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Bishop of Derby, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Lord Bishop of Derby has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Lord Bishop of Derby has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 18 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
17th Nov 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with other donor countries about the case for innovative funding arrangements to meet long-term humanitarian needs in South Sudan.

The UK has led conversations with other donors on improving linkages between humanitarian and development programmes, and ways to increase self-sufficiency and resilience among populations who are in need of humanitarian assistance. With our partners we are looking to fast track and implement innovative ways to stimulate markets to address food insecurity and build livelihoods, link development programmes in health and education with humanitarian provision of these services, and improve co-ordination in-country between humanitarian and development planning and provision.

Within the £150m in humanitarian support already pledged by the UK in response to the crisis in South Sudan this year, and supplemented by our development support to basic services and livelihoods, the UK is introducing new elements that facilitate a move away from reactive emergency responses to those that strengthen communities’ and households’ own efforts to reduce hunger and the need for humanitarian assistance. This portfolio includes investments in food and livestock production, stimulating weak food markets in urban centres, and enhancing roads that link communities with markets and basic services.

12th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports of benefit fraud have been submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

The number of reports of benefit fraud received by the Fraud and Error Service (FES) from 1st January 2010 to 30th September 2015 totals 4,889,021

You should not infer from this information that an actual offence has been committed. This information relates only to allegations and not completed investigations.

12th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many incidents of benefit fraud have been recorded in the East Midlands region between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

The information is not available in the format requested.

Figures are only available for the Central region, which is made up of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland, East Anglia, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, Mercia, Brimigham and Solihull, Black Country, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

There were 42442 confirmed cases of benefit fraud recorded in the Central region between 1st January 2010 and 30th September 2015.

12th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a statutory obligation for Jobcentre Plus officers to report suspected benefit fraud.

As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.

Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.

A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.

Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.

12th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how Jobcentre Plus officers report suspected benefit fraud.

As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.

Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.

A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.

Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.

12th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy is in place to enable Jobcentre Plus officers to identify benefit fraud.

As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.

Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.

A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.

Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.

17th Nov 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage greater and co-ordinated regional political pressure being put on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to cease fighting and to respect agreements signed to date.

The UK is actively supporting regional efforts, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to resolve the crisis in South Sudan. We raise the need for continued regional engagement through our Embassies in IGAD capitals, contacts between Ministers and through the UK Special Representative’s engagement in the peace talks

17th Nov 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan remains focused on protecting civilians, including preventing sexual violence, and that it has sufficient capacity and resources to fulfil that mandate.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we regularly engage with partners in New York to ensure that the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has clear tasking and sufficient resource to implement its mandate. We believe UNMISS’s mandate should continue to focus on the protection of civilians, including preventing sexual violence and will press for this during negotiations on the renewal of UNMISS’s mandate that are underway. Our Embassy in Juba also engages regularly with UNMISS’s leadership on these issues.
17th Nov 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other interested parties to include in peace talks in South Sudan representatives of all communities in South Sudan.

We have consistently encouraged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to ensure the peace process in South Sudan is inclusive. We have supported events to facilitate wide participation, including the IGAD-led civil society symposium in June. We have also called on the Government of South Sudan to ensure all parties to the talks are represented.

17th Nov 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to seeking a United Nations Security Council-backed arms and ammunition embargo on South Sudan.

The UK is currently working with other Security Council members to secure an effective UN Security Council sanctions resolution for South Sudan.

13th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to require gangmasters to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check as part of their licence application process.

The Government has no current plans to introduce a requirement for a Disclosure and Barring Service check in the Gangmasters Licensing Authority licence application. A public consultation on the role of the GLA in labour market enforcement was published on 13 October and invites views on operation of the licensing regime.

13th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce a requirement for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to ensure that gangmasters have a Disclosure and Barring Service check as part of the licence application process.

The Government has no current plans to introduce a requirement for a Disclosure and Barring Service check in the Gangmasters Licensing Authority licence application. A public consultation on the role of the GLA in labour market enforcement was published on 13 October and invites views on operation of the licensing regime.

28th Jul 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many child victims of human trafficking were interviewed in 2013 by competent authority staff, as opposed to specialist interviewers.

"There were 450 potential victims of trafficking who were minors at the time of exploitation referred into the National Referral Mechanism in 2013. These referrals were considered by UK Visas and Immigration and the UK Human Trafficking Centre.

The UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) do not conduct interviews with potential victims of trafficking. Interviews may take place with other agencies, for example the Police or Social Services, however UKHTC does not keep a record of who conducts the interviews, or when the interviews take place.

UK Visas and Immigration do conduct interviews where appropriate. Information on the training received by the staff involved in interviewing is not collated centrally and establishing this would incur disproportionate cost. However, all UKVI staff undertaking interviews with children must have undertaken specialist training. In addition, staff may also have received Competent Authority training which includes a two day specialist training course. All reasonable grounds and conclusive ground decisions are taken by trained Competent Authority staff."

28th Jul 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals on domestic worker visas have been identified as victims of human trafficking offences in each year since 2010.

The Home Office does not collect the information that has been requested. However, domestic workers who are abused or exploited, regardless of their immigration status, can receive care and support in the UK.

28th Jul 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals on domestic worker visas have sought assistance as victims of human trafficking through the National Referral Mechanism.

The Home Office does not collect the information that has been requested. However, domestic workers who are abused or exploited, regardless of their immigration status, can receive care and support in the UK.

28th Jul 2014
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many audits of supply chains have been undertaken to ensure that public bodies and publicly-funded projects are not using forced labour through their supply chains.

We do not hold central information on the number of audits commissioned or auditing steps taken regarding publically funded projects, as these would be a matter for individual contracting authorities to commission.

All suppliers are required to comply with UK law, including relevant human rights and employment rights law. Social, environmental and ethical issues are taken into account in the procurement process, where relevant and proportionate.

In particular, EU procurement rules require contracting authorities to exclude suppliers that have been convicted of certain offences, and allow authorities to exclude suppliers for grave professional misconduct. The new EU procurement Directives, which are currently being transposed into UK law, update the mandatory exclusion offences to explicitly include offences of "trafficking in human beings".

12th Oct 2015
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many incidents of benefit fraud relating to human trafficking and organised crime have resulted in a successful prosecution between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

It is not possible to identify from Ministry of Justice centrally held data whether a defendant proceeded against for an offence related to benefit fraud has a link to human trafficking or organised crime. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.