Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Richard Baker and Gavin Williamson

Thursday 16th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Gavin Williamson (Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge) (Con)]

7. What recent steps the Church has taken to respond to allegations of child sexual abuse within the Church of England.

[Richard Baker (Glenrothes and Mid Fife) (Lab)]

8. What steps the Church has taken to respond to the recommendations set out in the Makin review, published on 18 October 2024.

House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

Debate between Richard Baker and Gavin Williamson

Committee of the whole House
Tuesday 12th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Richard Baker]

This is a fundamental issue of principle. It is important that we in this House recognise that the presence of the hereditary principle within our second Chamber is outdated and indefensible. As other Members on the Government Benches have rightly pointed out, the UK is one of only two countries that still has a hereditary element in its legislature. It is not before time that we are considering this legislation.

[Sir Gavin Williamson]

The hon. Gentleman is making an important point about how difficult it is to defend the hereditary principle for legislators, but how does he go about defending the principle of English bishops being legislators in Glenrothes and Mid Fife?

[Richard Baker]

We do actually have a former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the House of Lords. I very much enjoyed the right hon. Gentleman’s speech—his points were made very passionately and with great conviction—but his party was in government as a majority Government for many years, and it did nothing on that issue.