The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford
Bishops
Member of the House of Lords
F
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford's full title is The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford. Her name is Gulnar Eleanor Francis-Dehqani, and she is a current member of the House of Lords.
Allowance claims · 2026
Data not yet released for 2026 — the Lords Finance Office publishes monthly CSVs ~6-8 weeks after month-end.
Lords votes · 2026
162 divisions
2 Content(1.2%)
0 Not-Content(0.0%)
160 didn't vote(98.8%)
Source: lordsvotes-api.parliament.uk. "Result" shows the headline
Content vs Not-Content tally (including tellers). The Lords doesn't
publish a "didn't vote" attendance roll like the Commons, so the
figure above conflates absence with abstention.
Recent Hansard contributions · latest 25
2026-06-04
Declining Birth Rates
My Lords, as we have heard, declining birth rates carry profound economic and social consequences. The story of human origins in the Book of Genesis begins with a God-given mandate to populate the Earth, and supports the basic goodness of family life. Th
2026-06-04
Fertility Treatment Regulation
My Lords, I recognise the depth of expertise in this Chamber and that my background is not a scientific one. However, it is incumbent on us all to engage in these crucial issues, which hold wide significance and implication. I approach this debate in the
2026-05-20
King’s Speech
My Lords, as the Church of England’s lead bishop for housing, I commend the measures in the gracious Speech that will improve different parts of our housing system.
The housing affordability crisis threatens to unravel the unwritten social contract: t
2026-03-19
Refugee Movements: Lebanon
I am grateful to the Minister for that response, and particularly for his call for de-escalation in the conflict. I imagine that many of us are shocked by the Israeli Defence Minister drawing parallels with Gaza, and I know that Lebanese officials have e
2026-03-19
Refugee Movements: Lebanon
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of refugee movements following Israeli military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
2026-03-02
Middle East
My Lords, some of your Lordships will know of my personal interest in this topic, having experienced at first hand something of the brutality of the Iranian regime. While I certainly would not lament the end of that regime, I share the concern of those w
2025-11-11
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
I am grateful to all noble Lords for their contributions and for engaging in the debate. Forgive me, I am not going to name individuals, but all the contributions—both those for the amendment and those against it—have been very heartfelt and some of them
2025-11-11
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
I am very grateful to the Minister for giving way. On the question of children, the Minister has just said the policy does not apply to children under 10. What is the logic for applying it to children over 10? I do not understand the distinction, and it
2025-11-11
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I declare my interests as per the register. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord German, and the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for their support as signatories and for their guidance, especially as this is the first amendment that I have sponso
2025-11-11
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
2025-09-18
Genome Screening: Newborn Infants
When will the House have the opportunity to debate this policy for whole-genome sequencing with all its details, given that it has such weighty and far-reaching implications for healthcare, prevention and a number of ethical issues, as we have already he
2025-09-16
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, sadly, my noble friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester is unable to be here to speak to Amendment 482 in her name.
This amendment, which I support and has already been touched on by a couple of noble Lords in our debate o
2025-09-16
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, I speak in support of Amendment 464 knowing that, had my right reverend friend the Bishop of Lincoln been in his place, he would very much have wanted to contribute to the debate. If passed, this amendment would introduce a duty on schools to r
2025-09-16
Undocumented Migrants
My Lords, Home Office analysis of the factors that influence where people claim asylum highlights that the presence of family exerts a particularly strong effect on decisions on the ultimate country of destination. Given this finding, what assessment hav
2025-06-13
Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill [HL]
I am sorry, but I am really confused, because what the noble Lord has said conflates two issues: those who have not been given leave to remain and those who have and for whom therefore the extension period is in order to give them a little bit longer to
2025-06-13
Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I am pleased to support the Private Member’s Bill of the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, on asylum support and her Amendments 1 and 2, which would enable the Government to extend the move-on period according to their plans and timetable. The Bill
2025-02-27
Iranian Regime: British Citizens
I am very grateful to the Minister for giving way. On the use of language, could he say a bit more about the reluctance to call this out for what it is and to refer to hostage taking, when other European countries are willing to do so?
2025-02-27
Iranian Regime: British Citizens
My Lords, I am grateful that time has been allocated to this debate and I look forward to the range of contributions, as well as to the Minister’s response.
I declare my personal interest in the subject. I come originally from Iran; I was born in the
2025-02-27
Iranian Regime: British Citizens
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they are making to reduce the number of British citizens being held by the Iranian regime.
2025-02-27
Breakfast Clubs: Early Adopters
My Lords, like many other noble Lords, I welcome this Statement. How will the Government ensure that breakfast clubs will be accessible to learners with special educational needs and disabilities who may usually be supported by one-to-one staff during th
2025-02-27
Private Rented Sector: Affordable Rents
My Lords, one consequence of sustained high rents in the private sector is the conversion of family homes into HMOs. Are the Government monitoring this trend, and what action are they taking on the loss of family homes in this way?
My Lords, it is very good to be here today and I am glad to be able to contribute on this important subject. As we consider a proposed uprating of 1.7%, as compared with 6.8% last year and 10.1% the year before, I am mindful of the different backdrop to
2025-02-24
County Lines Drug Trafficking
My Lords, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill introduces new offences, which appear to have no connection to immigration, of possessing any specified article that might be used in connection with any serious offence. What safeguards does the
2025-02-07
Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I warmly welcome this debate. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Burt, for her introduction, as well as the other noble Lords who have spoken. I look forward to the Minister’s response.
Although I understand the intention of the Bill, it may n
2025-02-07
Mortgage Prisoners Inquiry Bill [HL]
My Lords, I want to begin with a confession: I did not know much about the scandal of mortgage prisoners until just a few weeks ago. It surprised me how long this has been left unresolved. I felt compelled to speak to the plight of mortgage prisoners bec
Source: hansard.parliament.uk via hansard-api. Snippets shown
verbatim from the search API; click any debate title for the full record.
Register of Interests · 3 entries on file
Declarations under the Lords Code of Conduct. Free text — no monetary values, no hours worked. A declaration that an interest exists, not a claim about its size.
Category 1: Remunerated employment etc.
-
In receipt of episcopal stipend
registered 2021-11-03 · amended 2025-04-05
Category 3: Land and property
-
House in Oakham LE15 from which rental income is received
registered 2024-04-23 · amended 2025-04-05
Category 4: Sponsorship
-
Research and policy advice is provided by Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
registered 2023-11-21 · amended 2025-04-05
Source: UK Parliament Members API (Lords register). Refreshed weekly.
Read the full
Lords Code of Conduct
for what each category covers and the disclosure thresholds.
Party history
2021-06-25 → present
Bishops
current
Government posts
None recorded.
Opposition posts
None recorded.
Committee memberships
None recorded.
Contact
Parliamentary office
contactholmember@parliament.uk
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
External or private office
Bishop.Chelmsford@chelmsford.anglican.org
01277 352001 · .
01277 352001 · .
APPGs (2026) · 0 active officership(s)
No APPG officerships found for this peer. (Officer matching is by name —
if the parliamentary register lists them under a slightly different
form, the join may miss; check
/appgs directly.)
Written parliamentary questions · 2026
Showing
24
of 24 tabled
24 answered(100.0%)
4
departments
2026-05-13
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing: Construction
Answered
2026-05-13
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing: Construction
Answered
2026-05-13
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing: Rural Areas
Answered
2026-03-06
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Ukraine: Military Aid
Answered
2026-03-06
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Iran: Development Aid
Answered
2026-03-05
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Answered
2026-03-04
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing: Construction
Answered
2026-03-04
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing: Construction
Answered
2026-03-04
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing: Construction
Answered
Source: UK Parliament Members API. The amber "interest" tag is set
by Parliament's own system when the asking member has a register entry
it deems related — typically a paid role or directorship in the
sector being asked about. Click any "i" icon to see the full
question and the department's answer.
Bills sponsored & supported · 2026
0 bills
0 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
No bills sponsored or supported in 2026.
Source: UK Parliament Bills API. "Lead" sponsor is the
primary mover (sortOrder = 1); "Supporter" rows are
members of either House who
backed the bill at introduction. Year is the bill's first-reading
date.
Historic bills (all-time)
1 bills
1 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
| Bill | Info | Role | Status | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asylum Application (Entry to the United Kingdom) Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 1st reading | 2023-11-29 |
Same source as the year-scoped panel above, but unconstrained by
year. The "Sponsored" tag = lead sponsor; "Supported" = backed at
introduction. Sorted newest first.