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1016120

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Community Development
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent steps the Church of England has taken at parish level to support the needs of local communities.
	tabling member constituency	Gillingham and Rainham
	tabling member printed	Rehman Chishti
	uin	907925
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2018 answer text <p>This year the Church of England surveyed its 16,000 parish churches about their involvement in social action and local community projects. Of the 13,000 churches that responded the survey revealed that 80% were involved in providing services for the benefit of their local communities, either standalone or in partnership with others. These 33,000 projects included debt counselling, lunch clubs, language classes, food banks, children’s clubs, community cafes, holiday and breakfast clubs and night shelters.</p><p>There are many good examples of work in the Rochester Diocese, 11 of the 12 Church of England churches within the Gillingham deanery (which covers the Gillingham and Rainham constituency) are involved in providing on average at least 4 different projects to support the wider local community.</p><p>The areas in which the churches in Gillingham deanery are engaging is as follows:</p><ul><li>10 churches provide or support a Foodbank</li><li>8 churches operate a parent/carer and toddler group</li><li>7 churches operate a night shelter or other homeless provision</li><li>6 churches provide pastoral provision for wider community through operating street pastors groups, counselling/support, tackling loneliness projects</li><li>5 churches operate Youth projects (for the wider community)</li><li>4 churches provide a Lunch club or drop in service.</li></ul> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 29/11/2018 16:16:39 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	3987 label Biography information for Rehman Chishti

1015278

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Gambling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to tackle problem gambling.
	tabling member constituency	Walsall North
	tabling member printed	Eddie Hughes
	uin	907931
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2018 answer text <p>In 2017 the Church of England’s General Synod passed a unanimous motion calling on Government to reduce the stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals to £2.00. This is an issue on which bishops, most notably the Bishop of St Albans, have spoken frequently on and campaigned for. The Church has therefore welcomed the Government’s announcement of the reduction in stakes, and the decision to implement the change in April 2019, as well as the increase in Remote Gaming Duty. The Bishop of St Albans continues to spearhead the Church’s activity in this area and has recently raised in the House of Lords the high quantity of gambling advertisements, increases in child gambling, the voluntary levy paid by gambling firms, and the socio-economic cost to society of problem gambling.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 29/11/2018 16:15:50 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4635 label Biography information for Eddie Hughes

1013179

	registered interest
	date	23/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Charitable Donations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of trends in the level of demand for charitable donations since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
	tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
	uin	195133
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>The underlying financial health of the Church of England’s parishes is a testament to the generosity of the commitment of congregations and local communities across the country. The most recent assessment of Church of England parish finances relate to 2016 when total giving to the 12,400 parishes was £3million more than the previous year. Between 2010 and 2016 total giving increased by 8.5%.</p><p /> <p>The figures also show that in 2016 Church of England parishes donated £46 million to supporting other charities working in the UK around the world, from foodbanks and local children's charities to international aid appeals.</p><p /> <p>Detailed figures for giving and charitable donations can be found in the 2016 Parish Finances Statistics here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/2016ParishFinanceStatistics.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/2016ParishFinanceStatistics.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 27/11/2018 17:17:27 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1013180

	registered interest
	date	23/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church Commissioners receive from Her Majesty's Government to enable them to maintain (a) redundant and (b) under-utilised churches.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
	tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
	uin	195134
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners receive no direct Government support for maintaining redundant or under-utilised churches.</p><p> </p><p>The Church Commissioners and DCMS provide financial support for the Churches Conservation Trust, which cares for redundant churches of special architectural significance, and for which no suitable alternative use can be found. The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2016, (which can be found here: <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2016/9780111142738" target="_blank">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2016/9780111142738</a>) sets out the basis of Government funding from 1<sup>st</sup> April 2016 to 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 27/11/2018 17:19:29 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1011526

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Christ Church College
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what support is being provided to the dean of Christ Church college Oxford in his dispute with the college and cathedral authorities.
	tabling member constituency	Henley
	tabling member printed	John Howell
	uin	194169
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2018 answer text <p>Christ Church is a complex institution and, uniquely in the Church of England, the Dean is also the head of an Oxford college. The complaint against the Dean is an internal matter for the college, and neither the Church Commissioners nor the wider Church of England have any role in that process. The Bishop of Oxford remains in close contact with the Dean and is monitoring the situation closely.</p><p>A statement made to the Oxford Diocesan Synod by the Bishop of Oxford can be read here: <a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oxford.anglican.org%2Fdiocesan-synod-statement-dean-of-oxford-martyn-percy%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C01ffffa8bf48458a3c9008d653abccbc%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C636788394678291856&amp;sdata=v2C5Jpb%2FhFT4NtBXBAD1safzCWsMYDrGihGiJQklAPM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.oxford.anglican.org/diocesan-synod-statement-dean-of-oxford-martyn-percy/</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 26/11/2018 16:32:22 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	1606 label Biography information for John Howell

1010759

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Christianity: Middle East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had on maintaining the Christian community in the Middle East.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	193461
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>The Church of England continues to work alongside the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem to support the Christian community in Jordan, Syria, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. The Church also partners and engages with development and mission agencies working to support Christian communities overseas. Regular pilgrimage visits are made by parishes and dioceses of the Church of England, mainly to those holy sites that are not in conflict zones and which often involve meetings with local Christians</p><p><br>Westminster Abbey will be holding a special service on the 4th December at which His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will attend to offer encouragement to Christians throughout the region and to celebrate the contributions they make to their communities</p><p><br>The Archbishop of Canterbury made an official visit to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories in 2017, the primary purpose of which was to affirm the Christian community in the Holy Land, to identify and explore challenges relating to religious freedom and to give encouragement to St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem. The Archbishop also met with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian politicians during his visit</p><p><br>During the November parliamentary recess I joined a small group of MPs on a regional visit to see for myself the challenges faced by the Christian community in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. We visited a number of projects that are funded or supported by the Anglican Church, including hospitals and schools. Speaking with the different communities gave a helpful perspective on the significant challenges to the daily lives and movements of people.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 22/11/2018 16:11:52 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

999689

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Carers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how women in ministry are being supported with eldercare and parental care.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	187075
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2018 answer text <p>All ministers on common tenure – whether women or men - have the right to request time off work or adjustments to be made to the duties of their office in order to care for a dependant. As clergy office holders do not have defined hours of work, they already have greater flexibility than most employees over how they carry out their duties, which can often enable them to carry out their duties whilst caring for dependants without the need to request time off or adjustments.</p><p>As office holders, clergy are responsible for arranging their own cover while they are absent for any reason, (although the area dean or a member of the Bishop’s staff may assist clergy to arrange such cover where necessary). Support for caring for dependants and assistance with cover is not provided for centrally, as arrangements for this are best made locally – whether within the parish, or arranged with the assistance of the area dean or archdeacon. The Church Commissioners do not, therefore, have details of the level of support provided locally.</p><p>Women clergy are also supported at diocesan level by Deans of Women’s Ministry whose role is to promote the full inclusion of women in their diocese at every level of church life. As well as supporting female clergy with caring responsibilities, they are advocates for the ministry of women clergy in the diocese, listen to ordained women, identify the gifts, skills and potential among women clergy, and encourage these to be developed, used and fulfilled.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 05/11/2018 16:54:58 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

999694

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Carers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, whether women in ministry with caring responsibilities are in receipt of their full stipend.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	187076
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2018 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners do not have details of how many clergy have asked for time off or adjustments, or the level of support for caring for dependants and assistance with cover, as arrangements for this are best made locally – whether within the parish, or arranged with the assistance of the area dean or archdeacon.</p><p>Since office holders do not report on the number or arrangement of the hours they work in performance of their duties of office, it is not known how many clergy women (and men) take advantage of this flexibility to care for their dependants whilst holding full time offices and receiving full stipend.</p><p>All clergy (women and men) holding office on Common Tenure have a legal right to make a formal request for time off, or for adjustments to their duties of office, to care for a dependant. The latest statistics show that there were 330 women and 310 men in part-time stipendiary clergy roles at the end of 2017. It is likely that a full time stipendiary office holder who makes a request for their duties of office to be permanently adjusted to part-time in order to care for a dependant would receive a corresponding reduction in stipend. The decision as to whether an office holder receives full stipend during any formally requested time off to care for a dependant is made by the bishop on a case by case basis. The Bishop may grant special leave (usually on compassionate grounds)during which office holders usually receive their full stipend.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 05/11/2018 16:55:56 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

984597

	registered interest
	date	09/10/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Cathedrals: Salisbury
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the policy of the Commissioners is on renewal of leaseholds within the precincts of Salisbury Cathedral; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	New Forest West
	tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
	uin	177148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>Lease renewals within the Close at Salisbury are a matter for the Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral and the Church Commissioners do not therefore have a policy on this matter. The Chapter at Salisbury Cathedral sought the Church Commissioners consent under the Cathedrals Measure 1999 for a proposal to be offered to qualifying tenants. The Church Commissioners acknowledge that the Dean and Chapter have undertaken all due diligence in respect of this proposal but were unable to approve it without a quantified assessment of its impact on the Cathedral’s mission. Since that date the Third Estates Commissioner has met with the Dean and representatives of Chapter in September and has written to the Chapter recognising the difficulties in making this assessment.</p><p>Following these discussions, we understand that the Chapter at Salisbury is intending to review the matter.</p><p /><p /> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 15/10/2018 13:24:51 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

982584

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Church Commissioners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which AGMs the Commissioners have attended in relation to companies in which shares are held by the Commissioners in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	175978
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2018 answer text <p>In 2016 the Church Commissioners established an engagement team in conjunction with the Church of England Pensions Board, reflecting the importance of engagement in the application of our ethical investment policies. The engagement team has responsibility for voting our shareholdings in publicly listed companies, preparing ethical exclusion lists, and engaging companies in which we are shareholders on issues related to our ethical policies. During 2017 they undertook 112 engagements on behalf of the Church Commissioners, which ranged from letter-based contact to regular meetings with Chairs or Board members. The most significant proportion of face-to-face meetings remained with companies in the extractive industries. A list of company AGMs attended by the Church Commissioners’ Engagement Team in 2016, 2017 and 2018 (to date) is below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ANGLO AMERICAN PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>BHP BILLITON PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>BP PLC, LONDON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Centrica plc Exxon</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>GLENCORE PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>OCADO GROUP</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RIO TINTO PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>TULLOW OIL</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ANGLO AMERICAN PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Antofagasta plc</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>BP PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Exxon</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Glencore plc</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RIO TINTO PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ANGLO AMERICAN PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>BP PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Centrica plc</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>EXXON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Glencore plc</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Millennium &amp; Copthorne Hotels plc</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RIO TINTO PLC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Dutch Shell</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WPP plc.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 11/10/2018 16:22:52 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead