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416164

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Blackburn
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Church of England churches in the Diocese of Blackburn have been subject to metal theft from roofs in each year since 2012; and which such churches were redundant churches.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	8387
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2015 answer text <p>With regards to open churches the number of churches in the Blackburn Diocese which have suffered from metal theft can be found on the chart below. The chart shows the volume of claims have dropped dramatically since 2011 when the Scrap Metal Dealers Act was enforced there are still a small number of persistent gangs operating across the country who continue to damage and vandalise these local community assets. The total number of thefts does not tell the whole story as the cost to the individual parish which has suffered the damage is often considerable to repair, replace and take preventative steps against future thefts.</p><table><tbody><tr><td>Year Claim Made</td><td>2011</td><td>2012</td><td>2013</td><td>2014</td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td>Dicoese of Blackburn</td><td>73</td><td>27</td><td>14</td><td>13</td><td>127</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Churches listed below have registered 50 thefts in the specified period and are the worst effected, in addition to the list below 49 other churches have registered 77 claims in this period.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Listed</strong></p><p> </p><p>1 Lytham St Cuthbert – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>2 Colne St Bartholomew – Grade1</p><p> </p><p>3 Chorley St George – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>4 Chorley St Peter – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>5 Charnock Richard Christ Church – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>6 Cockerham St Michael – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>7 Hoole St Michael – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>8 Bamber Bridge St Saviour – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>9 Grimsargh St Michael – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>10 Walton-le-Dale St Leonard – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>11 Church Kirk St James – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>12 Accrington St John Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>13 Over Kellet St Cuthbert Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>14 Leyland St James Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>15 Mellor St Mary Grade II</p><p> </p><p>16 Douglas in Parbold Christ Church Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>17 Kirkham St Michael Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>18 Woodplumpton St Anne – Grade11*</p><p> </p><p>19 Chorley St Laurence – Grade 11 *</p><p> </p><p>20 Bolton le Sands Holy Trinity – Grade11*</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Unlisted</strong></p><p> </p><p>21 Blackburn St Luke with St Philip</p><p> </p><p>22 Layton St Mark</p><p> </p><p>23 Thornton le Fylde Christ Church</p><p> </p><p>24 Fleetwood St Nicholas</p><p>25 Little Thornton St John</p><p>Closed churches are the responsibility for the care and maintenance of a closed church rests with the Diocesan Board of Finance during the time that a use is being sought following closure. There are currently very few closed churches in the Diocese of Blackburn and we are not aware that there has been lead roof theft from any closed church in Blackburn Diocese in the years from 2012. We are aware of one earlier theft of lead from the roof of a former church building in the Great Harwood area of Accrington. This building has since been demolished and the site sold for residential development.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 10/09/2015 13:34:47 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

416766

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Blackburn
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which non-redundant Church of England churches in the Diocese of Blackburn (a) have and (b) do not have food bank collection points.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	8578
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2015 answer text <p><br></p><p>The Diocese of Blackburn works closely with ‘Together Lancashire’, a church-linked social action network run by Church Urban Fund. According to ‘together Lancashire’ there are currently around 36 food banks in the diocese of Blackburn, of which 6 are Trussell Trust foodbanks (Blacburn, Fylde, Ribble Valley, Morecombe Bay, Skelmserdale and Ormskirk). These food banks handed out an estimated 35,000 food parcels in 2014.</p><p><br></p><p>Nearly all these initiatives are church-led (though not necessarily Church of England) projects. A directory and map of food banks in Lancashire (including the unitary authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn &amp; Darwen) is available at: <a href="http://www.cuf.org.uk/node/618257" target="_blank">http://www.cuf.org.uk/node/618257</a></p><p><br></p><p>Separately, a Church in Action survey of Church of England clergy, which was published in January 2015, included a series of questions about church support for food banks. 1,812 church leaders took part in the survey. Of the 39 responses from Blackburn diocese:</p><p><br></p><ul><ul><li><p>31 churches (80%) were involved in some way in supporting a local food bank</p></li><li><p>6 offered church premises for the food bank</p></li><li><p>11 were helping to manage a food bank</p></li><li><p>14 were providing volunteers</p></li><li><p>29 were collecting food</p></li></ul></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 08/09/2015 16:16:51 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

416767

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: North West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Church of England churches in the Diocese of (a) Blackburn, (b) Manchester, (c) Liverpool and (d) Carlisle were sold in 2014; and how many such churches were sold to (i) other named protestant churches, (ii) named orthodox churches, (iii) other named Christian organisations, (iv) named non-Christian organisations, (v) organisations planning to use them for housing and (vi) organisations planning to use them for other named community uses.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	8994
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2015 answer text <p>From the records held centrally by the Church Commissioners, Closed Churches Division of the four dioceses mentioned only two closed churches were sold in 2014, both in the Diocese of Manchester, Primarily for use for nursery, playschool and other educational purposes, but not to named institutions. <br></p><p> </p><p>Very few Church of England church buildings are closed for regular public worship in any year and where such buildings are closed, the duty placed on the Diocese and the Church Commissioners is to seek a suitable use for the building.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014, in addition to the two closed church buildings mentioned above a further 14 closed Church of England buildings were sold and 3 leased across England: 5 for community purposes; 3 for use as a monument; 5 for residential use; and 4 for worship by other Christian bodies.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 09/09/2015 15:23:15 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

416768

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Blackburn
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Church of England churches in the Diocese of Blackburn were subject to metal theft from rooves in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014; and which such churches were redundant.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	8993
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2015 answer text <p>With regards to open churches the number of churches in the Blackburn Diocese which have suffered from metal theft can be found on the chart below. The chart shows the volume of claims have dropped dramatically since 2011 when the Scrap Metal Dealers Act was enforced there are still a small number of persistent gangs operating across the country who continue to damage and vandalise these local community assets. The total number of thefts does not tell the whole story as the cost to the individual parish which has suffered the damage is often considerable to repair, replace and take preventative steps against future thefts.</p><table><tbody><tr><td>Year Claim Made</td><td>2011</td><td>2012</td><td>2013</td><td>2014</td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td>Dicoese of Blackburn</td><td>73</td><td>27</td><td>14</td><td>13</td><td>127</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Churches listed below have registered 50 thefts in the specified period and are the worst effected, in addition to the list below 49 other churches have registered 77 claims in this period.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p><strong>Listed</strong></p><p> </p><p>1 Lytham St Cuthbert – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>2 Colne St Bartholomew – Grade1</p><p> </p><p>3 Chorley St George – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>4 Chorley St Peter – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>5 Charnock Richard Christ Church – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>6 Cockerham St Michael – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>7 Hoole St Michael – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>8 Bamber Bridge St Saviour – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>9 Grimsargh St Michael – Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>10 Walton-le-Dale St Leonard – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>11 Church Kirk St James – Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>12 Accrington St John Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>13 Over Kellet St Cuthbert Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>14 Leyland St James Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>15 Mellor St Mary Grade II</p><p> </p><p>16 Douglas in Parbold Christ Church Grade 11</p><p> </p><p>17 Kirkham St Michael Grade 11*</p><p> </p><p>18 Woodplumpton St Anne – Grade11*</p><p> </p><p>19 Chorley St Laurence – Grade 11 *</p><p> </p><p>20 Bolton le Sands Holy Trinity – Grade11*</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Unlisted</strong></p><p> </p><p>21 Blackburn St Luke with St Philip</p><p> </p><p>22 Layton St Mark</p><p> </p><p>23 Thornton le Fylde Christ Church</p><p> </p><p>24 Fleetwood St Nicholas</p><p>25 Little Thornton St John</p><p>Closed churches are the responsibility for the care and maintenance of a closed church rests with the Diocesan Board of Finance during the time that a use is being sought following closure. There are currently very few closed churches in the Diocese of Blackburn and we are not aware that there has been lead roof theft from any closed church in Blackburn Diocese in the years from 2012. We are aware of one earlier theft of lead from the roof of a former church building in the Great Harwood area of Accrington. This building has since been demolished and the site sold for residential development.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 09/09/2015 13:10:26 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

418106

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Cemeteries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Church of England dioceses have published regulations on monuments on burial plots and inscriptions on gravestones; which dioceses (a) allow and (b) do not allow nicknames on gravestones; which dioceses allow monuments; which dioceses (i) allow and (ii) do not allow pictorial etchings on gravestones; and which dioceses (A) allow and (B) do not allow free-standing containers on burial plots.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	9765
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2015 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally, while there is central guidance available, each Diocese and Parish applies the regulations to their local circumstances. Without more specific information about which parish is being referred to in the question further comment is not further comment is not possible.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Our advice would be to contact the Diocesan Registrar for Blackburn will know how these regulations are applied locally. The Registrar can be contacted at the Diocesan Office:</p><p> </p><p>Church House, Cathedral Close, Blackburn, BB1 5AA</p><p> </p><p>You may also wish to refer to page 4 of the Diocesan guide to the churchyard regulations available at the following link. <br>This document gives the general advice for the Diocese of Blackburn.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.blackburn.anglican.org/images/Information/Churchyard%20Regulations%202014.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.blackburn.anglican.org/images/Information/Churchyard%20Regulations%202014.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 15/09/2015 12:43:52 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

432202

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2015
	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: Cinemas
	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 investment the Church of England has in cinemas and buildings housing cinemas.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	17708
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2015 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners’ UK investments include just over £300,000 of directly held cinema group shares. In addition the Commissioners have indirect investment exposure to cinemas via property holdings in the Metrocentre, Bluewater and Cheshire Oaks retail shopping centres, all of which contain cinemas. Finally, the Commissioners have identified a very small indirect exposure to a cinema in our UK private equity portfolio.</p><br /> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 30/11/2015 16:55:09 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

432203

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2015
	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: Newspaper Press
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, in which (a) local and (b) national newspapers the Church of England plans to place advertisements with the text of the Lord's Prayer.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	17709
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2015 answer text <p>The Church of England has no plans advertisements of the Lords Prayer in local or national newspapers. Many national and local newspapers have already covered the story. As of 27<sup>th</sup> November 2015 online articles had received over 5.15 million views.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 30/11/2015 16:56:56 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

432204

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Cemeteries: Vandalism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how many graves in each church yard in each diocese in England were vandalised in 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	17710
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2015 answer text <p>The information requested is not retained at the national level and would incur a disproportionate cost to produce.</p><p /> <p>Wilful damage and theft of monumental stonework causes much emotional and financial distress. The Church is continuing to work with local Dioceses, police, insurers and local communities to improve security and awareness.</p><br /> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 30/11/2015 16:57:46 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

432913

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2015
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Refugees: Syria
	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 each Anglican church in the Diocese of Blackburn is taking to assist Syrian refugees.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	18054
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2015 answer text <p>The Diocese of Blackburn is working alongside other dioceses of the Church of England and local faith communities to coordinate their response to assist Syrian refugees. Churches in the diocese have been advised of the type of assistance that can most usefully be offered, working in conjunction with local authorities and other faith communities.</p><p /> <p>The three bishops of the Diocese of Blackburn were amongst the signatories to the letter from Church of England bishops to the Prime Minister, which welcomed the commitment of the Government to provide aid and resettlement, while calling on it to resettle substantially more than 20,000, and made clear the Church’s commitment to help in that task.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 03/12/2015 16:32:49 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

443409

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2016
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Floods: Blackburn
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Anglican churches within the Diocese of Blackburn were damaged by flooding in December 2015; and what the extent of damage to each such church was.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	21700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2016 answer text <p>Within the Diocese of Blackburn seven churches and churchyards, the diocesan retreat house at Whalley Abbey and three Church of England primary schools were damaged by floodwater. Many have also found that the boilers and heating systems have been damaged beyond repair and extensive programmes of works will need to be undertaken to both dry the buildings out and restore or replace furniture, carpets and school materials.</p><p>Reports of damage are still being registered across the Dioceses of Blackburn, Carlisle, Manchester, West Yorkshire and the Dales and York. To date 129 church properties have registered substantial damage from the December storms with our insurers, though I expect that figure to rise. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Council of the Church of England will be working with the dioceses to develop robust disaster management and recovery plans and flood adaptation measures for churches and other buildings.</p><p><strong>Within the Blackburn Diocese</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Parish Name / building</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Grade or * listing / Status</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Type of damage</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St Michael’s on Wyre</p></td><td><p>Grade 1</p></td><td><p>Water damage and damage to the boiler</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St Michael's, Much Hoole</p></td><td><p>Grade 2*</p></td><td><p>Water damage and damage to the boiler</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston</p></td><td><p>Grade 2*</p></td><td><p>Water damage</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St Michael &amp; All Angels, Croston</p></td><td><p>Grade 2*</p></td><td><p>Severe water damage</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St John the Evangelist, Lancaster (Incare of Churches Conservation Trust)</p></td><td><p>Grade 2*</p></td><td><p>Severe water damage</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St John the Baptist, Tunstall</p></td><td><p>Grade 1</p></td><td><p>Damage to the boiler</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St Wilfrid's, Ribchester</p></td><td><p>Grade 1</p></td><td><p>Damage to the graveyard and loss of many burials and monuments</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Whalley Abbey</p></td><td><p>Grade 1 and Scheduled Ancient Monument</p></td><td><p>Major water damage to the Abbey building</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Kirkland &amp; Catterall St. Helen's CofE School <br></p></td><td><p>Primary School</p></td><td><p>Severe water damage</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St. Michael's on Wyre C of E School</p></td><td><p>Primary School</p></td><td><p>Major water damage</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Whalley CofE School</p></td><td><p>Primary School</p></td><td><p>Basement flooded and water damage</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Mrs Caroline Spelman question first answered 13/01/2016 17:09:29 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick