Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

765192

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2017
	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: LGBT People
	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 has taken to prevent the imposition of (a) the death penalty and (b) other criminal sanctions on LGBT people on account of their sexuality.
	tabling member constituency	Exeter
	tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
	uin	105618
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2017 answer text <p>The Communique that followed the January 2016 meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion stated that “the Primates condemned homophobic prejudice and violence and resolved to work together to offer pastoral care and loving service irrespective of sexual orientation. This conviction arises out of our discipleship of Jesus Christ. The Primates reaffirmed their rejection of criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people.&quot;</p><p>In the House of Lords bishops have recently raised concerns about persecution and detention of LGBT citizens in Chechnya and have supported the need to appoint an LGBT advocate at the UN.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 10/10/2017 16:03:35 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

765193

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2017
	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: LGBT People
	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 has taken as a result of the Anglican Primates' statement of January 2016 on homophobic prejudice and violence and the rejection of criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people.
	tabling member constituency	Exeter
	tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
	uin	105619
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2017 answer text <p>At their meeting in Canterbury in October 2017 the Anglican Primates reaffirmed their commitment to the statement made in 2016, specifically the Communion’s sorrow for previous failures to support LGBTI people and its condemnation of homophobic prejudice and violence. The full statement can be read here: <a href="http://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/311326/communiqu%C3%A9-primates-meeting-2017.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/311326/communiqu%C3%A9-primates-meeting-2017.pdf</a> <br>The Primates also welcomed news that the Church of England has embarked on a major study of the cultural, scientific, scriptural and theological aspects of human sexuality.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014 the Church started working closely with a variety of external organisations to develop a resource for its schools called ‘Valuing all God’s Children’, to combat homophobic bullying. The Education Division of the Church of England is currently updating this resource to include support for Trans and Bi students. The updated version of ‘Valuing All God’s Children’ should be published later this year. At the July General Synod a motion was passed calling for a ban on the practice of Conversion Therapy aimed at altering sexual orientation.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 10/10/2017 16:05:49 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

776838

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2017
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Music
	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 the policy is of the Church Commissioners on the playing of secular music in (a) St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church and (b) all churches.
	tabling member constituency	Kettering
	tabling member printed	Mr Philip Hollobone
	uin	109263
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2017 answer text <p>The Church of England’s ‘Open and Sustainable Churches’ programme operates through its ChurchCare website [http://www.churchcare.co.uk/churches/open-sustainable]. This programme offers advice and encouragement to churches on how to use imaginative and strategic ways to make their spaces available for purposes as well as worship. These could be community activities, cultural or even commercial events. There is no specific national policy about the use of churches for concerts, as this is usually left to the discretion of the Vicar and the Parochial Church Council.</p><p> </p><p>Following a decision by the Parochial Church Council of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate the church will end its programme of offering hire space to musicians from 2018. In its place, the church will offer monthly Saturday evening concerts in partnership with external musical groups, including classical and choral music both sacred and secular, as well as Monday evening concerts and guest choirs at Evensong.</p><p> </p><p>From 1 November, the Diocese of London will also launch a website that will provide easy access to hire space and booking options for musicians in London, as well as a tool to promote concerts and events.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 30/10/2017 16:19:11 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	1537 label Biography information for Mr Philip Hollobone

776837

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2017
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Anniversaries: Scotland
	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 of England has made of whether to mark the 400th anniversary of imposition of the Five Articles of Perth by James I of England and VI of Scotland on the Church of Scotland.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	109298
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2017 answer text <p>The decision to mark the 400<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Five Articles of Perth is not a matter for the Church of England, being as they were specific to the Crown and the Church of Scotland. This decision is a matter for the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church.</p><p> </p><p>Should they wish to mark this anniversary, it would be their decision as to whether to invite the Church of England to participate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 06/11/2017 16:08:29 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

795294

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2017
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Christianity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meridan, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in the UK who face difficulties in following their faith in the (a) workplace and the (b) public forum.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	115715
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2017 answer text <p>At its July 2012 session the General Synod of the Church of England passed the following motion:</p><p>“That this Synod express its conviction that it is the calling of Christians to order and govern our lives in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture, and to manifest our faith in public life as well as in private, giving expression to our beliefs in the written and spoken word, and in practical acts of service to the local community and to the nation.‟</p><p>Bishops of the Church of England frequently speak about the need to ensure freedom of expression for Christians and for those of other faiths and none in the public square. In their joint letter before the last General Election, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote:</p><p>“Contemporary politics needs to re-evaluate the importance of religious belief. The assumptions of secularism are not a reliable guide to the way the world works, nor will they enable us to understand the place of faith in other people’s lives. Parishes and Chaplaincies of the Church of England serve people of all faiths and none. Their contribution and that of other denominations and faiths to the well-being of the nation is immense – schools, food banks, social support, childcare among many others – and is freely offered. But the role of faith in society is not just measured in terms of service delivery...The new Parliament, if it is to take religious freedom seriously, must treat as an essential task the improvement of religious literacy.”</p><p>The full text can be read here: <a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchurchinparliament.org%2F2017%2F05%2F09%2Fgeneral-election-2017-archbishops-issue-election-letter%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Ccaroline.spelman.mp%40parliament.uk%7Cf043429f8fd9451b370408d537460623%7C1ce6dd9eb3374088be5e8dbbec04b34a%7C0%7C0%7C636475696241825720&amp;sdata=OroVW92iBPZ0GqneZSZfTddQsmJ1FDDGslmLN1EJQnY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://churchinparliament.org/2017/05/09/general-election-2017-archbishops-issue-election-letter/</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 29/11/2017 16:39:44 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

748474

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2017
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Bats
	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 discussions the Commissioners have had with Church of England representatives on encouraging clergy to install bat boxes to provide alternative accommodation for these mammals.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	3275
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2017 answer text <p>Bat roosting remains a significant and costly issue for around 100 churches, where large roosts mean constant cleaning, damage to significant artefacts and delays to repair work, all of which reduce the use of the building by the congregation and community. Our experience is that bat boxes are not always the best solution, since there is no guarantee that the bats will use them.</p><p>The Church of England has recently secured Heritage Lottery funding as part of a partnership led by Natural England for a project to mitigate the impact of bats in churches. This work will include looking at ways that bats can be moved to more suitable locations when the roost has an adverse effect on the congregation. More details of the project can be found at: <a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.batsandchurches.org.uk%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Ccaroline.spelman.mp%40parliament.uk%7Cce2d399c7fb44acf61a608d4c786a2c4%7C1ce6dd9eb3374088be5e8dbbec04b34a%7C0%7C0%7C636352828440490556&amp;sdata=nB8DRan2yfmUY2JOhTRkJHRuAKwISw7xGnNjYiRZ%2Fi4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">http://www.batsandchurches.org.uk/</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 10/07/2017 11:38:20 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

748475

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2017
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Camping Sites
	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 discussions the Commissioners have had with Church of England representatives on expanding the availability of champing in England's churches.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	3276
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2017 answer text <p><strong>‘</strong>Champing’, or overnight camping in a church, is a new form of holiday pioneered by the Churches Conservation Trust. It currently uses only closed churches, 12 of which across the UK are available for visitors to stay the night in, between April and September. The Church of England is however working in partnership with the Churches Conservation Trust to bring the Champing model into operation for open churches, to offer high end accommodation that enables congregations to generate income, whilst also maintaining space for worship and community use.</p><p>The Church of England has developed a model for a high quality and revisable timber structure, which can be placed in open churches to provide a lettable insulated space, which in turn can generate income needed to maintain the building, thereby releasing money for mission. Designed to support rural parishes this model is being piloted in the Diocese of Hereford thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and AllChurches Trust. More information is at: <a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.champing.co.uk%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Ccaroline.spelman.mp%40parliament.uk%7Cce2d399c7fb44acf61a608d4c786a2c4%7C1ce6dd9eb3374088be5e8dbbec04b34a%7C0%7C0%7C636352828440490556&amp;sdata=EC71jPHUwRiZbms%2BjBeKwn65m7w1hBPppp3zl%2FUTJkU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">http://www.champing.co.uk/</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 10/07/2017 11:38:57 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

598180

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2016
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Cathedrals: Peterborough
	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 by the Church Commissioners to address the financial difficulties at Peterborough Cathedral; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Peterborough
	tabling member printed	Mr Stewart Jackson
	uin	47672
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2016 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners have made an emergency loan to help address the cashflow challenges at Peterbourough Cathedral. In addition to this financial assistance, they have also actively supported and continue to support the Cathedral and Chapter by giving practical assistance, for example helping the Chapter evaluate options for staff restructuring and its property sale programme.</p><p> </p><p>The Bishop of Peterborough has launched a visitation which will include a review of financial management and overall governance of the cathedral. The Commissioners are assisting in this process and I am happy to say that governance is improving and Chapter is beginning to address its budget deficit.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 13/10/2016 11:17:42 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

622519

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2016
	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: Peterborough
	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 progress has been made on disposing of land at the urban extension at Norwood Peterborough with a view to submitting an outline planning application for residential development to Peterborough City Council; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Peterborough
	tabling member printed	Mr Stewart Jackson
	uin	50857
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2016 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners are currently preparing a planning application for an urban extension at Norwood, Peterborough. We are in regular communication with Peterborough City Council and statutory consultees on key technical inputs to support the submission. The application will be made in outline and will be accompanied by an Environmental Statement, which will assess all relevant environmental matters. We anticipate that the planning application will be submitted in the new year.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 01/11/2016 09:10:25 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

634021

	registered interest
	date	11/11/2016
	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: Peterborough
	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 the timetable is for the exchange of contracts on the sale of Phase 2 of the Paston Reserve residential site in Peterborough; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Peterborough
	tabling member printed	Mr Stewart Jackson
	uin	52646
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2016 answer text <p>Land at Paston near Peterborough is in the ownership of The Church Commissioners for England, Taylor Wimpey plc and the Homes and Communities Agency. The joint owners are in discussions with a house builder regarding the sale of a further phase following the success of Phase 1. Those discussions are ongoing. It is the Church Commissioners’ hope that these discussions can be concluded as quickly as possible. No timetable is currently available but all parties, including the prospective purchaser, are in regular contact and appraised as to progress.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 16/11/2016 15:35:33 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough