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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

982756

	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 of England: Social Rented Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which housing estates (a) in the Greater London area and (b) elsewhere have been sold by the Church Commissioners; and whether guarantees were sought that those estates would remain in social housing ownership.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	175982
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>In 2005 and 2006 following careful consideration the Church Commissioners took the decision to sell what were known as the Octavia Hill Estates, comprising approximately 1,580 flats and houses within the Greater London area.</p><p> </p><p>The sales, to a joint venture between Grainger plc and Genesis Housing Group, were subject to the residents’ leases, and the rights and obligations contained in these remained. A commitment was made to engage with residents’ associations and to keep in touch with tenants as the sales progressed to keep them fully informed. Some tenants had the right to purchase their properties and this was communicated to the qualifying tenants.</p><p> </p><p>In 1985 the Church Commissioners took the decision to sell their residential property holdings in Brixton to a housing association. According to the records of the Commissioners covenants were not placed on these properties and to the best of knowledge these properties are still owned by a housing association.</p><p> </p><p>The Church Commissioners are not and have never been a social housing provider and have a statutory duty to deliver the best possible return on their investments to fund the work and mission of the Church of England across the country. The Church Commissioners continue to provide new housing across the country where they have land holdings and affordable housing is a key part of that provision.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 19/10/2018 15:07:24 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman previous answer version 77536 answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

964564

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Equality
	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 are being taken to promote greater diversity by (a) gender (b) ethnicity and (c) sexual orientation in leadership positions within the Church.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
	tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
	uin	169369
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>Increasing diversity among the clergy is a priority for the Church of England. Nationally the Church has set a target that it will increase the overall number of people recommended for training by 50% over a five-year period. The Church is well on the way to deliver this and has already seen a 22% increase in those entering training since 2016. The Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council has developed programmes to support those who are being called to the priesthood from as wide a range of communities and backgrounds as possible. Members of the Crown Nominations Commission who are involved in the recruitment and discernment process for the most senior appointments also undergo unconscious bias training.</p><p>During 2018 the Church recommended 316 women for training, which was 54% of the total. This represents the highest proportion of women entering training that the Church has seen in the last ten years.</p><p>The most recent data from 2017 shows that around 6% of those entering training self-identify as being from a minority ethnic background. The Church responded by recruiting a National ME Vocations Officer to address this underrepresentation of minority ethnic clergy and through the “Turning up the Volume” programme is supporting future senior leaders. The Ordained Vocations Mentor Directory was also created to help support those at any stage on the journey towards ordained vocations who would like a mentor.</p><p>The Church of England does not record or keep data on the sexual orientation of candidates.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 15/10/2018 15:24:42 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman previous answer version 77537 answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

945523

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Cathedrals: Insolvency
	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 he has made of whether proposed recommendations by the Cathedrals Working Group on winding-up provisions in the event of a cathedral’s insolvency could result in creditors receiving less than they would otherwise.
	tabling member constituency	Llanelli
	tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
	uin	166471
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>The General Synod of the Church of England debated the Cathedrals Working Group report earlier this month. The Synod requested the Archbishops’ Council to bring forward a draft Measure for First Consideration at the July 2019 group of sessions, to give effect to the recommendations that involve legislative change. Preparatory work is expected to include an assessment of how the jurisdiction of the courts in relation to insolvency applies to cathedrals and what, if any, changes might be made.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 25/07/2018 13:40:33 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

919298

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Seaham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 26 April 2018, Official Report, col 1014, whether she has held discussions with the diocese on St Mary’s the Virgin Church, Seaham.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	151150
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2018 answer text <p>Since my oral answer of 26<sup>th</sup> April 2018 (Official Report, col 1014) I have consulted with representatives of the Diocese and of Seaham Parish and I understand that the land being developed is not owned either by the Parish, the Diocese or the Church Commissioners. Any objections must therefore be made formally and in the usual manner to the Local Authority planning office.</p><p> </p><p>To date the Diocese has not been asked to submit a view on the development. It would be for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary’s the Virgin to ask them to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 11/06/2018 15:22:31 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

917122

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Jeremy Pemberton
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Church of England spent on the employment tribunal involving Jeremy Pemberton; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Exeter
	tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
	uin	149586
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2018 answer text <p><em><em>It is not the practice of the Church Commissioners to disclose expenditure on the costs of legal proceedings of this kind (they are not required to do so under s.5 Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943). The Church Commissioners have decided not to pursue the claimant for the costs they incurred as a result of his unsuccessful tribunal and subsequent appeals.</em></em></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 06/06/2018 15:11:40 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw