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1693446

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2024
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Commissioners have had discussions with the Department of Work and Pensions on the potential impact of the migration of claimants of Child Tax Credit to Universal Credit on the financial position of members of the clergy.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	16862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry Development Team of the Archbishops’ Council estimates that around 1,800 clergy families are currently in receipt of child tax credits. As has been reported, some of these may stand to lose up to £10,000 a year as a result of the planned migration to Universal Credit.</p><p>Representations have been made to the Department of Work and Pensions about the impact on clergy who have savings or property for retirement, of the ineligibility for Universal Credit for those with assets or savings over the £16,000 threshold. A key concern is that this will not only affect living standards for clergy families reliant on stipendiary income but will have an adverse effect on all people in tied accommodation seeking to make adequate provisions for their retirement.</p><p>The Ministry Development Team also estimates that around 400 of the 1,800 clergy families receiving child tax credits have more than two children and are therefore also likely to be affected by the two-child cap on Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 26/03/2024 11:28:36 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1666082

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2023
	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: Gaza and Israel
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England has provided to (a) churches and (b) other people in (i) Israel and (ii) Gaza since 7 October 2023.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	203517
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2023 answer text <p>Following the events of 7th October, the Archbishops of York and Canterbury called on Christians, and people of all faiths and none, to pray for the victims of the terrorist attacks by Hamas and for the innocent affected by the conflict.</p><p>The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Jerusalem, from 19<sup>th</sup> – 22<sup>nd</sup> October 2023, to stand in prayerful solidarity with the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem following damage to the Al-Ahli Hospital and to show pastoral care and support to all those affected by the war. During the visit, the Archbishop met with those who had lost loved ones as a result of the 7 October attacks. Several dioceses are supporting humanitarian appeals to support the ongoing work of the Al–Ahli Hospital.</p><p>The Archbishop of Canterbury’s most recent comments on the issue of Israel and Gaza can be found here: <a href="https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/news/news-and-statements" target="_blank">https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/news/news-and-statements</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 24/10/2023 12:16:47 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650994

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether he has had recent discussions with local dioceses on the potential merits of devolving budgets.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192872
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Parishes already have autonomy over their finances. The Church of England has a devolved structure with operational budgets managed at the parish, diocese and national levels. Each level makes day-to-day and long-term spending decisions appropriate to its activity. There are no plans to devolve further budgetary functions.</p><p>The Church Commissioners make significant money available each year through the Archbishops' Council to support various initiatives at the diocesan and parish levels. Recent funds have included money to increase opportunity for those with a vocation to train for ministry, supporting clergy posts of first responsibility, funding parish churches upgrading heating systems and giving hardship grants to dioceses to support clergy in need. <br> <br> The Church Commissioners are now working with a new Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board to oversee the distribution of its lowest-income communities and strategic development project funding. The latest report from the Strategic Mission and Misntry Board can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf</a></p><p><br> You can find more about the work of both the Archbishops' Council and the Church Commissioners to support parish and diocesan ministry in their Annual Reports here:</p><p>The Archbihsops' Council: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2308-2022-archbishops-council-annual-report.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2308-2022-archbishops-council-annual-report.pdf</a></p><p>The Church Commissioners: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1342-church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022-final.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1342-church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022-final.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:22:51 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650995

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to allocate funding to the least affluent areas in parishes.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192873
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Parliament has most recently approved the Diocesan Stipends Funds<strong> </strong>(Amendment)<strong> </strong>Measure 2023, which has received Royal Assent. This Measure has simplified the process and enabled wealthy dioceses to share surplus funds from their Diocesan Stipends Funds with less affluent dioceses should they choose to do so. This money can only be spent on the stipends for clergy.</p><p>Additionally, the Church Commissioners, whose predecessor bodies were founded to support poor clergy and poor parishes by redistributing the wealth of the Church, continue that purpose today. The primary example is through the Lowest Income Communities Fund. The Church Commissioners have also been making new money available to support vocations, training new clergy, and supporting dioceses to afford larger numbers of clergy. This money has been administered through the Archbishops' Council.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:21:14 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650996

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of the potential merit of separating the funding of upkeep of the material fabric of buildings and of ministers for the cure of souls.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192874
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>While no specific assessment has been made of separating the upkeep of buildings from the ministers’ cure of souls, the National Church Institutions regularly review the pressure on parishes and clergy in public ministry and are committed to reducing the burdens of administration, operation, and management. The National Church Institutions continue to explore the opportunities to support parishes, and the Church Commissioners have recently launched the £14 million 'Buildings for Mission' fund, which includes funding for Church Building Support Officers and minor fabric repairs. The Church would like to thank the Government for introducing an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to clarify the law around churches being able to receive grant funding from local authorities.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:16:27 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650997

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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 Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions he has had with the Church Commissions on the role of charitable trusts in upkeep of church buildings.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192875
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>I have not discussed with the Board of the Church Commissioners the role of charitable trusts. The Church Buildings Division of the national Church institutions are available to all parishes, diocese and cathedrals to offer advice and support about grants or maintenance. Parish Resources provides a list of grant funders. Details can be found here: <a href="https://www.parishresources.org.uk/resources-for-treasurers/funding/" target="_blank">https://www.parishresources.org.uk/resources-for-treasurers/funding/</a></p><p>No major heritage funder, such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NHLF), has retained a ring-fenced fund to support the repair and maintain religious buildings and ecclesiastical heritage. However, the NLHF new ten-year strategy will include places of worship alongside other heritage assets.</p><p>The Church of England is therefore grateful to the local philanthropists and charitable trusts, large and small, that support the maintenance of our churches and Cathedrals alongside the support from the congregations. Without their support, our nationally and internationally important church architecture and the living heritage of our parish churches and cathedrals would be at even greater risk.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:04:26 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650998

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: VAT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church has made representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on VAT relief for the upkeep of (a) newer and (b) all church buildings.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192876
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The most recent discussions between the National Church Institutions and the Treasury about VAT on building repairs took place in 2021-2022 around the regular review of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.</p><p>Representations were also made in 2022 by the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the National Church Institutions to the Secretary of State for Brexit Opportunities suggesting that VAT on repair and restoration of religious buildings be zero-rated as part of the review of EU legislation. This request was supported by the Historic Building Alliance and the wider sector. The Brexit Opportunities Department declined to take the suggestion further at the time.</p><p>The Church of England is grateful to the Treasury for continuing the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme while the post-Brexit tax arrangements are bedding in as this gives certainty to churches undertaking repair and building work.</p><p>More information about the scheme can be found here: <a href="https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 14:54:48 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650999

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had with stakeholders on involving parishes in discussions over their future.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192959
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Parish ministry is central to the day-to-day life of the Church of England. The General Synod, at its July 2023 session, discussed GS 2314 a paper from the Vision and Strategy Department about revitalising parish ministry. You can find the paper here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2314-revitalising-the-parish.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2314-revitalising-the-parish.pdf</a><br> <br> Regarding the distribution of the Church Commissioners' funds, it will be for the new Strategic Mission and Ministry Board to decide who and how they consult before making their decisions and advice regarding future investment.</p><p>The latest report from the Strategic Mission and Misntry Board can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf</a></p><p>Information about the foundation of the Board and its purpose can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/new-board-oversee-unprecedented-church-england-investment-mission-and" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/new-board-oversee-unprecedented-church-england-investment-mission-and</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 14:53:10 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1651000

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had with stakeholders on (a) their spending priorities and (b) how these align with the mission of the church.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	192960
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The budget of the Archbishops' Council is debated at the General Synod, and members can question the chair of the Council’s Finance Committee about spending plans. <br> <br> The spending plans are designed to align with the five Marks of Mission and the Vision and Strategy of the Church of England. The Five Marks of Mission were developed by the Anglican Communion and adopted at its meeting in 1984 (ACC-6) to draw the global family of Churches together around points of unity. You can find more information about this here: <a href="https://www.anglicancommunion.org/mission/marks-of-mission.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.anglicancommunion.org/mission/marks-of-mission.aspx</a></p><p>For more information about how the Church of England applies the Five Marks of Mission, see here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/deeper-god-mission-theology" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/deeper-god-mission-theology</a></p><p>For more information about the Church of England's Vision and Strategy set out in 2020, see the latest papers here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/vision-and-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/about/vision-and-strategy</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 14:52:00 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1399433

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Discipline
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Ecclesiastical Committee has been kept informed of the progress of the review of the Clergy Discipline Measure.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	96970
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2022 answer text <p>The Ecclesiastical Committee have not, as yet, been formally apprised of the recommendations made either by the Lambeth Working Group or the Implementation Group. The Implementation Group would be very happy to present their proposals to the Ecclesiastical Committee as part of the ongoing work over reforming clergy discipline. The Group envisage being in a position to do this from May 2022.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 96972 question first answered 10/01/2022 14:55:18 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1399434

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Discipline
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made with the Clergy Discipline Measure review.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	96971
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2022 answer text <p>The Lambeth Working Group on the Review of the Clergy Discipline Measure, chaired by the former Bishop at Lambeth, presented its final paper to the General Synod in July 2021. That paper recommended that the Clergy Discipline Measure be replaced by new legislation which provides for a wider approach to issues of discipline, including the creation of a system which allows for the determination of lesser types of misconduct and grievance. This work is now being taken forward by a smaller Implementation Group, chaired by the Bishop of Worcester. That Group intends to finalise their proposals over the coming months and consult with various interested bodies between February and May 2022 with a view to presenting detailed legislative proposals to General Synod in July 2022.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 06/01/2022 17:28:28 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1399435

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Discipline
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, when a presentation of proposals to reform the Clergy Discipline Measure will be made available to members of the Ecclesiastical Committee.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	96972
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2022 answer text <p>The Ecclesiastical Committee have not, as yet, been formally apprised of the recommendations made either by the Lambeth Working Group or the Implementation Group. The Implementation Group would be very happy to present their proposals to the Ecclesiastical Committee as part of the ongoing work over reforming clergy discipline. The Group envisage being in a position to do this from May 2022.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 96970 question first answered 10/01/2022 14:55:18 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1345285

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Singing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what provisions will be put in place for people who remain concerned about covid-19 infection as singing is reintroduced in churches.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	29844
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2021 answer text <p>The National Church Institutions as part of the DCMS and MHCLG Places of worship Task Force has produced fresh guidance for Parishes to help navigate the current situation. It reflects Government guidance as we move to step 4 of their roadmap as well as that from public health bodies and will continue to be updated as that evolves.</p><p>The guidance provided by the National Church Institutions it is hoped will inform local clergy and PCC’s in their decision-making. The circumstances in each parish may differ due to space, age and heath demographic, ability to ventilate the building or a variety of other concerns.</p><p>The full guidance can is available here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 20/07/2021 12:27:15 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 13458 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1278831

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Discipline
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on the review of the Clergy Discipline Measure.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	140865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The review group at Lambeth Palace is working to bring forward proposals to the General Synod for the replacement of the Clergy Discipline Measure. Sadly, because of the pandemic, the public consultations that were planned to take place at the end of 2020 have only just happened. A wide range of individuals and groups have responded to the interim proposals that the Working Group has put forward. The review group are now collating those responses and intend to formulate their proposals into a new piece of legislation. This new Measure will include an early triaging process, an alternative route for mediation, and ensure that adequate resources are made available to make the administration of discipline more efficient and transparent for all involved.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/01/2021 11:35:59 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1232989

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Cathedrals: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what support is being made available to cathedrals to tackle the financial challenges they are facing as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	87595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>The Church of England's 42 cathedrals contribute over £220million to the national economy and have, on average 10 million visitors in a typical year. The closure of churches and cathedrals due to Covid-19 has severely reduced both their ability to support the local and national economy. Estimates suggest that cathedrals are facing anticipated losses due to the pandemic of around £28million in 2020 and a projected further £15million in 2021.</p><p>Cathedrals are eligible and are being encouraged to apply for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, and the Government's £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund.</p><p>The Church Commissioners have made money available to cathedrals in response to the pandemic, including through the £10 million cathedral sustainability fund, of which £1million is to support cathedrals wage bills, £1million to support Lay Clerks and cathedral music, £1million to support specialist heritage trades and a further £5 million on other projects to make cathedrals more sustainable. The Church Commissioners are currently consulting all cathedrals about their current circumstances and potential future financial and non-financial support needs.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/09/2020 16:10:37 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 46511 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1196972

	registered interest
	date	19/05/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the Commissioners' timetable is for enabling churches to reopen safely for funeral services after the covid-19 lockdown.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	902797
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners do not have responsibility for setting a timetable for the reopening of church buildings for funeral services. Current guidance from the House of Bishops is not to conduct funeral services in church buildings because of widely expressed concerns about parishes having capacity to conduct such funerals safely, including being able to clean churches thoroughly between services to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. This is guidance, not instruction.</p><p> </p><p>We are acutely aware of the anguish of those not able to have or attend a funeral in their parish church in the current circumstances. Where it is requested a priest will be present to conduct a funeral service, either at a crematorium or at the churchyard. The House of Bishops meets regularly to review its guidance which will be updated in line with changing circumstances, and published on the Church of England website.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 19/05/2020 17:05:20 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1186409

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2020
	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: Charitable Donations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to change the way parish donations are collected in response to reductions in the use of cash.
	tabling member constituency	Wycombe
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
	uin	32147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The Church recognises the need to adapt to the move away from cash towards contactless payments. A large and fast-evolving range of contactless solutions is available through the Church’s own Parish Buying service, with over 1,900 churches now having the means to accept payments or donations by card or mobile phone. The Church aims to have over half of its 16,000 churches able to take contactless payments and donations in the next three years.</p><p>The Church of England in partnership with the Church in Wales is working through its Parish Buying programme to negotiate competitive prices for churches. More information on that can be found at the Parish Buying website: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishbuying.org.uk%2Fcategories%2Fgiving-and-payments&amp;data=02%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cf1379cd5c6d54c494ac908d7d008aec4%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637206608062647135&amp;sdata=GyOzM%2Ba5e6yeWdhv0BZXzE3kfgZCaKPTd%2BCpXxbaer0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.parishbuying.org.uk/categories/giving-and-payments</a></p><p>The Church of England has also been encouraging congregations to move to electronic planed giving schemes. This is primarily to reduce administrative burdens on volunteers, but at a time when churches have closed for public health reasons, electronic planned giving ensures continuity of a regular income.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 24/03/2020 17:20:37 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1669316

	registered interest
	date	09/11/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Church of St Peter and St Paul
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church Commissioners will review the decision to demolish the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Birch, Essex.
	tabling member constituency	Witham
	tabling member printed	Priti Patel
	uin	900092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2023 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners have been closely involved with local and diocesan discussions on the future of St Peter &amp; St Paul, Birch. The Commissioners are responsible for the oversight and management of the relevant legislation and have ensured that the decision-making to allow demolition has followed due process</p><p><br>Whilst the Commissioners have no plans to review the decision, it is now for the Diocese of Chelmsford to take forward the demolition (or not as they may decide).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 16/11/2023 16:22:47 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel

1338454

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Collective Worship: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions the Commissioners have had with the Government on the potential merits of reconsidering guidance on sung worship in churches from 21 June 2021 as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
	tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
	tabling member printed	Tim Farron
	uin	19560
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2021 answer text <p>The Bishop of London chairs the Church of England’s Covid Recovery Group and issued a statement on 15<sup>th</sup> June in which she said: “While we look forward to restrictions on worship being lifted in the near future, I will continue to press for ongoing appraisal of choral and congregational singing.” Also on 15<sup>th</sup> June the Bishop of Leeds raised concerns in a question in the House of Lords about inconsistencies on how restrictions are being applied.</p><p>Across our parishes live music is valued as integral to worship and for other well-being benefits that choral singing brings.</p><p>The Church continues to engage the Government through the Places of Worship Taskforce, and the Bishop of London has requested that the Taskforce reviews the future rules around singing before publication.</p><p>Meanwhile, singing under the current guidance remains possible within a very limited framework, both for indoor and outdoor singing.</p><p>The Church of England's own guidance on singing is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F2021-06%2FCOVID%252019%2520advice%2520on%2520conducting%2520public%2520worship%2520v3.5_0.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cbe3f2aac2bf24f29c74f08d93659bb42%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637600582012610917%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=OZEJUBEVtWfgkaBxyeQEEROZvsLoFIJrkS%2FonGjUu54%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/COVID%2019%20advice%20on%20conducting%20public%20worship%20v3.5_0.pdf</a></p><p>The Government guidance is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fcovid-19-suggested-principles-of-safer-singing%2Fcovid-19-suggested-principles-of-safer-singing&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cbe3f2aac2bf24f29c74f08d93659bb42%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637600582012610917%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=SWg9YQ2tDKDOXigZKpYGaGYu9gz%2BQSGEYaLQA6pThes%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-suggested-principles-of-safer-singing/covid-19-suggested-principles-of-safer-singing</a><br> <br> The Royal School of Church Music guidance is here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rscm.org.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F05%2FFAQs-re-Singing-19th-May-2021-1.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cbe3f2aac2bf24f29c74f08d93659bb42%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637600582012620874%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=032tAofj54V5aC6lcZ9IJYY4Jzw4DoC2WVAYi6olv2k%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">http://www.rscm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FAQs-re-Singing-19th-May-2021-1.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 24/06/2021 08:02:36 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1681257

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2024
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Paula Vennells
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what role Paula Vennells had in advising the Commissioners after 2019; and which committees she attended.
	tabling member constituency	West Dorset
	tabling member printed	Chris Loder
	uin	9090
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2024 answer text <p>In the spring of 2019 the House of Bishops discussed why some of the recommendations of the Church Buildings Review, which was approved by the General Synod in November 2015, had not been implemented. Paula Vennells was subsequently asked by the Archbishops to undertake a lessons learnt review. During the course of the review its remit was expanded to look at the wider working together of the National Church Institutions (NCIs), including issues around organisational governance, leadership and culture. The report, ‘Church Buildings Review- Lessons Learnt’, was completed in October 2019 and Paula Vennells attended a meeting of the House of Bishops in December 2019 at which it was presented.</p><p>In February 2020 Paula Vennells was invited to attend the Church Commissioners Board of Governors for a discussion of the Lessons Learnt report, but she was unable to attend and the report was considered in her absence. The Lessons Learnt report was considered by the Archbishops’ Council in March 2020, again in the absence of Paula Vennells, who was invited but unable to attend.</p><p>In March 2020 the Archbishops established a Coordinating Group, to continue the work of the Triennium Funding Working Group, and to coordinate certain strands of national work for the Church during the Covid 19 pandemic. Paula Vennells was invited to join the Coordinating Group and to lead on the part focusing on Governance. She attended three meetings of the Group, in April, May and June 2020 and sent apologies to two further meetings in June and July, before withdrawing from the work. The Coordinating Group became what is now the Emerging Church Steering Group. A Governance Review group under the Chairmanship of the Bishop of Leeds proceeded from August 2020, without the involvement of Paula Vennells.</p><p>The Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) is convened and funded by the three National Investment Bodies, to whom it provides ethical investment advice. Paula Vennells was appointed to the EIAG by its Nominations Committee and was a member between March 2019 and April 2021. She attended two meetings, in March and October 2019, and sent apologies for meetings thereafter until she took leave of absence from the Group from June 2020, lasting until her resignation in April 2021. More information about the EIAG can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/ethical-investment-advisory-group" target="_blank">Ethical Investment Advisory Group | The Church of England</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 15/01/2024 17:07:36 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4751 label Biography information for Chris Loder

1418155

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2022
	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: Public Relations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 101841 on Church of England: Public Relations, how much Lambeth Palace spent on public affairs in the financial year 2020-2021.
	tabling member constituency	West Dorset
	tabling member printed	Chris Loder
	uin	114934
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2022 answer text <p><em>It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure on all public affairs activity from the overall total working costs for the Archbishop of Canterbury in the financial year 2020-21 without incurring disproportionate cost. During this period the public affairs team at Lambeth Palace comprised a social and public affairs adviser, research officer and a PA. The PA role will be reduced to half time in 2022.</em></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 02/02/2022 17:45:01 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4751 label Biography information for Chris Loder

1401966

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2022
	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: Public Relations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Church of England spent on (a) public affairs and (b) reputation management organisations in financial year 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	West Dorset
	tabling member printed	Chris Loder
	uin	101841
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2022 answer text <p>It is not possible to give a cumulative figure for expenditure on public affairs for the Church of England, as each National Church Institution, diocese and parish is a separate charity and this information is not collected.</p><p>At a national level public affairs functions are not limited to a specific branch of the National Church Institutions. The Faith and Public Life team of the Archbishop’s Council (formerly MPA: the Mission and Public Affairs Division) handles much of the Church of England’s national engagement with Government, Parliament and policymakers but also has responsibility for work that is not public affairs. In the transition from MPA to the Faith and Public Life team under the Transforming Effectiveness process, the total number of NCI staff working in those public affairs roles has been cut.</p><p>The Archbishops’ Council Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020 can be seen here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F2021-06%2FGS%25202211%2520AC_annual_report_and_financial_statements_for_year_ended_31_December_2020.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C043d18e7ab6943cd73cc08d9d6bb902b%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637776924236020443%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=cZ3D1WMXw4zBYl1wwTcjYZrxMqvscE5Ox6jMFgVF0nE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">GS 2211 AC_annual_report_and_financial_statements_for_year_ended_31_December_2020.pdf (churchofengland.org)</a></p><p>The Church Commissioners for England Annual Report 2020 can be seen here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F2021-06%2FChurch%2520Commissioners%2520Annual%2520Report%25202020.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C043d18e7ab6943cd73cc08d9d6bb902b%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637776924236020443%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=tnkFrMXg83UXKrVMroRp77K551XvsRMvDzzvalnanqI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Church%20Commissioners%20Annual%20Report%202020.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/01/2022 17:44:16 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4751 label Biography information for Chris Loder

1379335

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Baptism: Asylum
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many services the Church of England has conducted specifically for the purposes of Baptising people seeking asylum in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	West Dorset
	tabling member printed	Chris Loder
	uin	76831
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>Data are not kept on the nationality or migration status of those who seek Baptism. The content of the rite of Baptism remains the same for all. <br>Clergy are required by canon law to ensure that all who come to Baptism as adults are given appropriate teaching on the tenets of the faith and in encouragement to private spiritual devotion. Therefore, the preparation process may require specific, lengthier input and instruction of some groups of candidates before the clergyperson is confident of the independent faith of each individual.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 22/11/2021 17:56:21 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4751 label Biography information for Chris Loder

1356827

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Clergy: Suicide
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy have taken their own lives in the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	West Dorset
	tabling member printed	Chris Loder
	uin	51846
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2021 answer text <p>Records are not held centrally on the causes of death of clergy. The Church of England provides resources for those experiencing stress and signposts to other resources from charities and organisations able to help. Some more information is available here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/clergy-resources/national-clergy-hr/supporting-clergy-health-and-wellbeing#na" target="_blank">Supporting clergy health and wellbeing | The Church of England</a> As chief pastors in their dioceses, diocesan bishops ensure pastoral care is available to clergy and is provided when needed. <br> <br>The Church of England is committed to supporting those individuals and organisations working to help those at risk of self-harm and suicide. At a parish level many clergy play a key role themselves in providing counselling, comfort and support to those at risk. All suicides are tragedies, and whilst causes will vary, the death of any member of the clergy through suicide will be a matter of profound concern and deep sadness for all in the church, their community and all who have a responsibility for their pastoral care.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 23/09/2021 16:34:56 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4751 label Biography information for Chris Loder

1192783

	registered interest
	date	04/05/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: VE Day
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Right Hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to fly Union Flags on its churches for the 75th Anniversary of VE Day.
	tabling member constituency	West Dorset
	tabling member printed	Chris Loder
	uin	43168
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2020 answer text <p>The House of Bishops revised their guidance on access to churches on the 5th May 2020. <br>The new guidance can be read here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/news/house-bishops-backs-phased-approach-revising-access-church-buildings" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/news/house-bishops-backs-phased-approach-revising-access-church-buildings</a></p><p>Government guidance states that ‘a minister of religion or worship leader may leave their home to travel to their place of worship’. In most cases, they will do so in order to pray or to stream a service of worship. If clergy wish to mark VE Day by ringing a church bell or flying a flag from their church buildings, that is within government guidance. This advice does not extend to bell-ringers, sextons or other church officers or volunteers.</p><p>The parish church would usually be central to local commemorations of events such as Victory in Europe Day, but for this anniversary they will be honouring the sacrifice of all those who were involved in World War Two in a new way. Archbishops, Bishops and clergy will be participating in local and national virtual services to mark VE Day. The Church of England has released national resources for worship and prayer which can be used by local communities: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/worship-resources-ve-day-2020" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/worship-resources-ve-day-2020</a></p><p>Additional resources have been released by Westminster Abbey to help churches shape their services over the anniversary weekend which can be found here: <a href="https://www.leeds.anglican.org/sites/default/files/files/veday2015resources.pdf" target="_blank">Service of Thanksgiving to mark the 70th Anniversary of VE Day</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 06/05/2020 16:20:19 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4751 label Biography information for Chris Loder

1355160

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Bishops
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Catholic Relief Act 1829, what assessment the Commissioners have made of the Prime Minister's ability to advise the Sovereign on the appointment of Anglican Bishops.
	tabling member constituency	Walsall South
	tabling member printed	Valerie Vaz
	uin	48216
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">The Church Commissioners have not made any such assessment. </del><ins class="ministerial">The application of the Catholic Relief Act 1829 to the Sovereign’s advisers is a matter for the Government, not for the Church Commissioners.</ins></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 16/09/2021 16:24:45 question first ministerially corrected 20/09/2021 14:24:30 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 21997 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4076 label Biography information for Valerie Vaz

1355161

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Bishops
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Commissioners have made of the potential merits of repealing legislation which prevents a Prime Minister who is a Catholic from advising the Sovereign on appointing Anglican Bishops.
	tabling member constituency	Walsall South
	tabling member printed	Valerie Vaz
	uin	48217
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners have not made any such assessment.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 16/09/2021 16:32:48 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4076 label Biography information for Valerie Vaz

1270822

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Religious Buildings: Planning Permission
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps he is taking to support building development for historic places of worship.
	tabling member constituency	Walsall South
	tabling member printed	Valerie Vaz
	uin	128940
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2021 answer text <p>Advice and support for parishes and cathedrals is available via the Church of England’s platform ‘Church Care’, this website acts as a portal for advice on management, maintenance, development and grants available to parishes and cathedrals.</p><p> </p><p>During the pandemic period, £30m of grants that have been awarded to Church of England churches and cathedrals from a combination of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Emergency Fund. The Church of England is grateful for this support and recognition by the Government of the key role these buildings play in their local communities.</p><p> </p><p>The grants awarded by the Culture Recovery Fund were allocated to 227 churches and cathedrals with 43% of this money is going to the 30% most deprived parishes – over £12.9m; 20% of the money going to the 10% most deprived parishes, totalling over £5.9m.</p><p> </p><p>The Lichfield Diocese received of six grants totalling £342,825 from the Culture Recovery Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund, this included five awards to parish churches totalling £199,925 and a grant to Lichfield Cathedral of £142,900</p><p> </p><p>A second Culture Recovery Fund has now launched, and churches with listed buildings are being encouraged to apply for support.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/01/2021 16:09:12 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4076 label Biography information for Valerie Vaz

1270823

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Religious Buildings: Disadvantaged
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to places of worship in areas of high deprivation; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Walsall South
	tabling member printed	Valerie Vaz
	uin	128941
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2021 answer text <p>While the primary responsibility for decisions on resourcing mission and ministry rests with the dioceses, the Church Commissioners have provided an extra resource to dioceses (distributed by The Archbishops’ Council) to support mission and ministry in deprived communities in the form of Lowest Income Communities Funding. Across England, £82.1m has been allocated by the Commissioners for this purpose in 2020-22. Recipient dioceses are required to report on their use of this funding to The Archbishops’ Council each year. The Diocese of Lichfield, which covers Walsall South, will receive over £1.7m of this funding in 2021. In 2019, the diocese allocated some £200,000 of this to support ministry and mission in parishes in Walsall.</p><p> </p><p>The dioceses can also apply for Strategic Development Funding (SDF) for significant projects which support their mission and financial strength, in line with their own strategies. The criteria for this funding seeks to focus on areas of deprivation, and on work with children and young people and within large urban areas. In 2019, £1.7million was awarded to Lichfield Diocese to fund a project to enhance mission and ministry in Telford, which includes some of the diocese’s most deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>A further £35m Sustainability Funding has also been made available to help diocese whose income has been reduced by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding is focused on those dioceses with fewer historic assets and whose populations have lower average incomes. Grants worth £15m were made to 24 dioceses in 2020.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/01/2021 16:07:38 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4076 label Biography information for Valerie Vaz

1675088

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2023
	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: Energy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church will have discussions with the Dioceses of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield on support with energy costs.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	4961
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2023 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners are in regular contact with the Dioceses of Hereford and Lichfield. During the winter of 2022-23, due to dramatic increases in energy costs, £3million of Church Commissioners’ funding was made available through the Archbishops’ Council to support additional ministry hardship funding for clergy and lay workers, and a further £15million was similarly made available in energy cost support funding for dioceses to allocate primarily to Parochial Church Councils. This money was in addition to the dioceses' own ministry hardship funding and discretionary funding.</p><p>There is no plan to offer a similar scheme this year over and above the money already available through diocesean discretionary and hardship funds.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 15/12/2023 15:02:00 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1584297

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2023
	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: Antisemitism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether he has had recent discussions with the Church of England on tackling anti-Semitism in (a) theological training colleges, (b) ordained clergy and (c) Church of England parishes.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	140073
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>The key resource that the National Church Institutions commend to all clergy, dioceses and parishes is God’s Unfailing Word: Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian-Jewish Relations, produced by the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England in 2019. This addresses the need to combat antisemitism in the Church and affirms the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. Teaching and training of ordinands and clergy in Theological Colleges and Dioceses includes much of this material, and there are regular resources and seminars for Diocesan Inter Faith Advisers equipping them in this area.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/02/2023 17:47:22 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1567272

	registered interest
	date	16/01/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Hereford and Lichfield
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church Commissioners are giving to churches in the dioceses of Hereford and Lichfield to help protect the written and oral history and heritage of churches.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	123894
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>There are no specific written or oral history heritage projects supported by the Church Commissioners in the dioceses of Hereford and Lichfield. However the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Archbishops’ Council is in regular contact with parishes across the region to support them in the care of their buildings and local community heritage assets. More general advice is available from the ChurchCare website: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare</a> which gives information about grants, building management and best practice.</p><p>Across England the Church of England manages 12,500 listed buildings out of a total of 16,000 churches. Many of these are considered to be nationally important buildings and are maintained by the generosity and goodwill of local volunteers and donors.</p><p>The Church Commissioners are providing £11million in funding for 2023-25 to support a new “Buildings for Mission” programme to provide support, through dioceses, to local parishes with the challenges they face in maintaining their church buildings</p><p>The Church is grateful to the Government for its support for cathedrals and major churches during the pandemic when the Culture Recovery Fund made over £60.6m available to 582 parishes and cathedrals. The Church advocates for the continuation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, worth up to £42m a year, until a suitable alternative can be found. The National Church Institutions are working closely with Government, heritage partners and philanthropic funders, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund in response to its recent strategic review and has continuing dialogue with Government about the financial needs involved in maintanining such important places of worship.</p><p>The Church awaits the response of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to the recommendations made by the Government’s independent review led by Bernard Taylor into the sustainability of Church buildings, which was published in 2017: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/english-churches-and-cathedrals-sustainability-review" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/english-churches-and-cathedrals-sustainability-review</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 16:16:33 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1540353

	registered interest
	date	07/11/2022
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Ukraine: Armed Conflict
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions the Church of England has had with the Russian Orthodox Church on the conflict in Ukraine.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	80671
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2022 answer text <p>The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ met online earlier in the year, and channels of communication remain open. A brief meeting took place between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Russian Orthodox delegates at the World Conference of Churches Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany (31 August to 8 September 2022) where there was a robust exchange. The Archbishop of Canterbury also met with leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.</p><p>The Church continues to pray for an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue in order to secure a negotiated peace settlement. The Church calls on all parties to respect the principles of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and for the humane treatment of all prisoners of war.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/11/2022 23:01:06 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1316328

	registered interest
	date	19/05/2021
	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: Rural areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on what steps the Church of England is taking to support the diocese of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield; and what plans the Church of England has to support dioceses with large rural parishes.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	3820
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>Diocesan resourcing of mission and ministry is supported by congregational giving, historic investments and other income. Additional support is provided from national funds generated by the investments of the Church Commissioners and distributed by the Archbishops' Council.</p><p> </p><p>The Diocese of Hereford has received:</p><ul><li>£1.172m of Lowest Income Communities Funding over 2020-22 to support mission and ministry in areas of low economic activity.</li><li>£113k of Strategic Ministry Funding to help fund curates costs.</li><li>£120k in 2020 to support work on congregational giving.</li><li>£525k of Strategic Development Funding was awarded in 2017 towards a 5-year project supporting missioners in six parishes in the Diocese, including 3 of its market towns, focusing on reaching children and young people. More details can be found <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hereford.anglican.org%2Fintergenerational-mission%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717289664%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=KuCQu5fp2Ix2%2Fflo7vsdMHd9eG1CExIoe4jzhm9l2CQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Diocese of Lichfield has received:</p><ul><li>£6.23m of Lowest Income Communities Funding over 2020-22 to support mission and ministry in areas of low economic activity.</li><li>£850k to support diocesan finances in the light of the impact Covid-19.</li><li>£1.690m of Strategic Development Funding in 2019 for a 6-year project to support ministry and mission in Telford, focusing strongly on social engagement and reaching children and young people. More details can be found <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lichfield.anglican.org%2Fnews%2Ftelford-new-church-mission.php&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717289664%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=%2FokkcFuiyKiOHwduG34VL63bWaaRonhbrnhLxumnndE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Through the Government's Culture Recovery Fund, parishes and cathedrals of the two dioceses have also received:</p><ul><li>Lichfield: 14 grants to parishes, totalling £379,141, and two grants to Lichfield Cathedral, totalling £152,900</li><li>Hereford: 12 grants to parishes, totalling £304,678, and two grants to Hereford Cathedral, totalling £284,400</li></ul><p> </p><p>Rural parishes make up around 60% of the Church of England's footprint with approximately 10,000 buildings. These parishes serve about 17% of the population, with 91% of rural churches being listed. These rural churches are an important community asset as they are often the only public building left in their community and serve multiple purposes in addition to being a place of worship.</p><p> </p><p>The Association of Festival Churches (<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fafchurches.org%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717299634%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=mv07sTg3MrEuZ7n9ET439SSMnp8KrfA7p%2FdiSBKfVHQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">The Association of Festival Churches</a>) was recently formed with the express purpose of supporting mostly rural churches to expand community use of their church buildings, working with pre-existing specialist resources such as the <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Farthurrankcentre.org.uk%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717299634%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=VayZla7j2z3WFbS9F18o3ppaoGh86c0fl32wUYS1YFg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Arthur Rank Centre</a> to provide targeted guidance and advice for rural churches.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 24/05/2021 15:05:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1231901

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Greater London
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on central London parishes of the congestion charge being levied on Sundays.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	85999
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>I am aware of the pressure the extension of the congestion charge is placing on all who worship in those London parishes that are located within the boundary of the charge, and who must travel to them from outside that boundary. Though the Church Commissioners have not made formal representations, I am aware that approaches have been made to the Mayor of London by Churches Together in Westminster including St Martin-in-the-Fields and St James's, Piccadilly, alongside other denominations and faiths. Concern has been raised about the knock-on impact on social action project work carried out by many central London places of worship, which may see a fall in donations as a result of fewer regular worshippers or visitors.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/09/2020 16:12:40 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 46029 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1195763

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions he has had with the Diocese of Hereford on lost revenues resulting from the closure of places of worship during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	46581
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners and National Church Institutions are in discussions with dioceses during this challenging period, including on the evolving financial impact. A series of structured interviews have been held with every diocese, including with the Diocese of Hereford at the end of April. Though too early for detailed conclusions, it was clear that the financial challenges will be significant.</p><p> </p><p>The Church announced a national package of financial support for dioceses on 27 March, providing funds to support liquidity in dioceses where this was needed, with a further announcement following on 14 May. See: <a href="https://mailchi.mp/churchofengland.org/update-financial-support-for-dioceses-and-cathedrals-in-light-of-the-coronavirus?e=fbaf3379f3" target="_blank">https://mailchi.mp/churchofengland.org/update-financial-support-for-dioceses-and-cathedrals-in-light-of-the-coronavirus?e=fbaf3379f3</a> We are continuing to consider how best dioceses can be further supported in terms of both immediate needs, and in strengthening their long-term missional health and financial sustainability</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 18/05/2020 16:10:25 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1195764

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions he has had with the Diocese of Lichfield on lost revenues resulting from the closure of places of worship during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
	tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
	uin	46582
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners and National Church Institutions are in discussions with dioceses during this challenging period, including on the evolving financial impact. A series of structured interviews have been held with every diocese, including with the Diocese of Lichfield at the beginning of May. Though too early for detailed conclusions, it was clear that the financial challenges will be significant.</p><p> </p><p>The Church announced a national package of financial support for dioceses on 27 March, providing funds to support liquidity in dioceses where this was needed, with a further announcement following on 14 May. See: <a href="https://mailchi.mp/churchofengland.org/update-financial-support-for-dioceses-and-cathedrals-in-light-of-the-coronavirus?e=fbaf3379f3" target="_blank">https://mailchi.mp/churchofengland.org/update-financial-support-for-dioceses-and-cathedrals-in-light-of-the-coronavirus?e=fbaf3379f3</a> We are continuing to consider how best dioceses can be further supported in terms of both immediate needs, and in strengthening their long-term missional health and financial sustainability</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 18/05/2020 16:09:45 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1270852

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Charitable Donations: Software
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the potential merits of establishing an app to enable contactless donations to be given via a QR code in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	The Cotswolds
	tabling member printed	Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
	uin	128865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2021 answer text <p>The Church of England’s central purchasing facility ‘<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishbuying.org.uk%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030154457%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=jDIOO%2Fzt%2Fzu4KLOwXd%2BCm8wZOTIzC4s4CSvEGIRRJJg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Parish Buying</a>’ has been rolling out electronic and contactless giving across the parishes and cathedral since 2018. Parish Buying has negotiated a discounted rate for churches to take online donations given through <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishbuying.org.uk%2Fcategories%2Fgiving-and-payments%2Fonline-giving&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030164452%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=6QGQE5Q3bG6yroCf6lHmxWz3UtUSd6wuMhSdeWdxOEg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">GiveALittle</a>. Nearly 2,000 churches have set up GiveALittle accounts so far.</p><p><br>The national Church is funding premium membership of this service for all parishes, enabling people to make gift aid declarations and to make regular monthly donations online. The GiveALittle system allows a church to publish a giving page or make a QR code available to enable people to give quickly and simply. Guidance for parishes is available <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishbuying.org.uk%2Fimages%2Fdocuments%2FQR_codes_and_how_to_get_one.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030164452%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=w51rB5TXuDUSkoLcEk028lh5J9oSP%2BphUc3UIXPY35c%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Training is available <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fresources%2Fbuilding-generous-church%2Fwebinars-and-training%2Fgenerosity-toolkit&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030174448%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=N5lXhDvUtu1PS4s7cmdNwXGlSr6ZJgsL%2B5sQEi550l0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">online</a> for parishes on many giving issues, including online giving, and there is extensive guidance on both <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishbuying.org.uk%2Fcategories%2Fgiving-and-payments%2Fonline-giving&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030174448%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=rl1pGWzmU66oIU1HZe5h5iQwWRHQwCUUY%2BkQco2rxps%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Parish Buying</a> and <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishresources.org.uk%2Fencouraging-giving-online%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030184445%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=iJZAq48H78vaIBkO2ibwkwgeGuTsXOdeKVn1NeNe2bE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Parish Resources</a> websites. GiveALittle also has an app available for <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parishbuying.org.uk%2Fcategories%2Fgiving-and-payments%2Fsolutions%2Fpayaz-pass-box-complete-kit&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7C9012f81c55ce400dc17508d8b3e5d688%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637457147030184445%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=WAqI50bvbZD1QfkRAh8z75iCacrL%2BIBVN75EpQHfC3U%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">contactless devices</a>, and this enables the public who may wish to donate to churches to continue to make donations. This year the Church will begin the rolling out of free contactless devices to half Church of England parishes, and many have already installed them following the successful trials in 2018.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/01/2021 16:05:57 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	249 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

1183889

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2020
	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: Travellers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on (a) making Church land available for Gypsy and Traveller sites and (b) other plans to tackle racism and discrimination as agreed at the General Synod in February 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	27547
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2020 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners manage the charitable and historic endowments of the Church to support mission and ministry financially. The Commissioners seek to make provision for a range of housing types on their land but have not recently been made aware of any requirements for the direct provision of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation on that land. Other land at a parish and diocesan level is not under the ownership or management of the Church Commissioners.</p><p>The Church has an active network for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and is also running an annual training day for clergy that offers support and guidance, alongside a conference on 24<sup>th</sup> March 2020 which aims to give voice and visibility to minorities not traditionally heard, seen and represented in the Church of England.</p><p>The Church of England’s Ministry Division and clergy senior appointments team have developed a programme of work to support vocations from UKME communities and is working towards increasing representation in the senior leadership of the Church.</p><p>The Church will also be making an additional £20 million available over three years under its new Social Impact Investment Project, which incentivises positive investment in communities over the maximisation of financial return. One of the key areas for this project will be looking at the social impact of housing and consideration will be given to the housing needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller peoples.</p><p>At its February 2020 session the General Synod of the Church of England debated and passed the following motion:</p><p>“<strong>Windrush Commitment and Legacy</strong></p><p>That this Synod, commemorating in 2018 the martyrdom of the Revd Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., noting with joy the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush liner in the United Kingdom in June 1948 bringing nearly 500 Commonwealth citizens, mainly from the Caribbean, to mainland UK; and the eventual arrival of approximately half a million people from the West Indies, who were called to Britain as British subjects to help rebuild the post-war United Kingdom:</p><p>a. lament, on behalf of Christ's Church, and apologises for, the conscious and unconscious racism experienced by countless black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Anglicans in 1948 and subsequent years, when seeking to find a spiritual home in their local Church of England parish churches, the memory of which is still painful to committed Anglicans who, in spite of this racism from clergy and others, have remained faithful to the Church of England and their Anglican heritage;</p><p>b. request the Archbishops’ Council to commission research to assess the impact of this on the Church of England in terms of church members lost, churches declining into closure, and vocations to ordained and licensed lay ministries missed, and to report back to this Synod and the wider Church.”</p><p>c. express gratitude to God for the indispensable contribution to the mission, ministry, prayer and worship of Christ's Church in this nation made by people of BAME descent in the Church of England;</p><p>d. acknowledge and give joyful thanks for the wider contribution of the 'Windrush generation' and their descendants to UK life and culture in every field of human activity, including service across the Armed Forces and other services during and after the Second World War; and</p><p>e. resolve to continue, with great effort and urgency, to stamp out all forms of conscious or unconscious racism, and to commit the Church of England to increase the participation and representation of lay and ordained BAME Anglicans throughout Church life;</p><p>f. request the Archbishop’s Council to appoint an independent person external to the Church to assess the current situation as regards race and ethnicity in the Church, in order to present a report to this Synod with recommendations for actions to achieve reconciliation and authentic belonging so that we can move towards truly being a Church for all people;</p><p>g. to the greater glory of the God in whose image every human being is made.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/03/2020 15:49:54 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

1579820

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2023
	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 Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Living in Love and Faith consultation, what discussions he has had with senior Church leaders on the Bishops' proposal to be put to General Synod on the outcomes of that consultation.
	tabling member constituency	Streatham
	tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
	uin	130092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>I have held discussions with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London as part of my briefing on the House of Bishops’ response. As Second Church Estates Commissioner it is my intention to attend the General Synod debate on Living in Love and Faith, and to convey to the Synod the views that have been presented to me in Parliament.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 16:39:28 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1568305

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2023
	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 Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, in the context of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith process and the forthcoming General Synod, whether the Commissioners have made assessment of the potential impact of the Church of England's exemptions from the Equality Act 2010 on LGBT+ people.
	tabling member constituency	Streatham
	tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
	uin	126814
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>The National Church Institutions have made no such assessment. The exceptions in the Equality Act are for all religious organisations rather than for the Church of England specifically. It is unlikely that any of the exceptions will be engaged by Living in Love and Faith and therefore no assessment has been carried out.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 16:33:23 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1220927

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the timescale is for allowing churches to resume choir singing; and what guidance will be published for churches on resuming choir singing safely during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Streatham
	tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
	uin	69712
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2020 answer text <p>The timescale for allowing churches to resume choral singing is a matter for Public Health England and the Government. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government published updated guidance on the 9<sup>th</sup> July, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/07/2020 17:43:20 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 36022 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1217932

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England has taken to provide financial support to single parish churches to avoid the redundancy, salary review and staff restructuring of employed musicians.
	tabling member constituency	Streatham
	tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
	uin	65019
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>In March, the Church Commissioners and Archbishops’ Council announced over £75m of liquidity support to dioceses and cathedrals. This money included allowing dioceses in financial need to access up to three months forbearance on sums required for the national clergy payroll [or clergy stipends] for a limited period and paying monthly grants in full for 2020. In May the National Church Institutions announced a diocesan grant scheme supported by the Church Commissioners, which totalled up to £35m of sustainability funding.</p><p> </p><p>The Church Commissioners are unable to make grants directly to Parochial Church Councils and parish churches. Parishes employ staff such as musicians, assistants, and lay workers in a variety of ways. Where the Parochial Church Council directly employs an individual, the individual would have been eligible to be placed on furlough under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 29/06/2020 15:33:57 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1217933

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2020
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to ensure that church musicians and choirs can safely resume their work as soon as possible under Government guidelines; and what assessment the Church has made of the implications for its policies of medical evidence on the transmission risk of choirs and congregations in church settings.
	tabling member constituency	Streatham
	tabling member printed	Bell Ribeiro-Addy
	uin	65020
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>The Church of England is working with the Government and Public Health England to restore choirs and singing to services as soon as it is safe to do so. There has been limited research available for Public Health England to use to make an informed assessment about the safety of singing, and the choir of Salisbury Cathedral is currently participating in a study organised by Public Health England to enable it to make these decisions in an informed manner. We await further guidance from the Government and Public Health England once these trials have been concluded.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 29/06/2020 15:31:38 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4764 label Biography information for Bell Ribeiro-Addy

1687728

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2024
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Security
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what funds the Commissioners allocate to churches for (a) cameras, (b) alarms and (c) other security equipment.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	13262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2024 answer text <p>All churches are eligible to apply for the Home Office hate crime scheme if they need support with new or upgrading equipment or facilities. <br> The <a href="https://benefacttrust.co.uk/" target="_blank">Benefact Trust</a> has funded alarms for churches. More details are available on the Church of England website about how to support parishes with resources and advice: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/security-and-crime-prevention" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/security-and-crime-prevention</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/02/2024 17:58:37 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1601385

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Religious Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of freedom of religion and belief (a) globally and (b) in China and Hong Kong.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	158916
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2023 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given (<a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-01-23/129832" target="_blank">129832</a>) on 31st January 2023.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 23/03/2023 10:38:55 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1599267

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2023
	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 Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions he has had with representatives of the arch-diocese of Jerusalem on damage to graves at the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion in January 2023; and what steps he plans to take to (a) help promote religious acceptance and harmony in the UK and (b) prevent vandalism at cemeteries.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	153753
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2023 answer text <p>The escalating violence in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories is of deep concern. Representatives of the Church continue to work closely with the Department of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the British Consulate in Jerusalem, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem and other faith leaders in the city. The Archbishop of Canterbury remains in close contact with the Archbishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Hosam Naoum, and the Bishop of Southwark regularly visits the region with Roman Catholic bishops as part of the Holy Land Coordination Group.</p><p>Following the attacks, the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement that read, “The desecration of Christian graves in Jerusalem is a blasphemous act. I join the Chief Rabbi [Ephraim Mirvis] and religious leaders in Jerusalem in condemning it and hope those responsible will be brought swiftly to justice. As we continue to pray for peace in the Holy Land, I stand with Archbishop Hosam Naoum and other Jerusalem church leaders in calling for respect, protection, equality and justice for its Christian community – who are the Living Stones of the church.”</p><p>Interviewed immediately after the attacks Archbishop Naoum spoke about the increasing use of exclusion, segregation, and intolerance alongside increasing attacks on the holy sites.</p><p>The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have urged all sides to &quot;actively reaffirm their commitment to a promotion of an environment of safety, mutual respect and religious tolerance in the Holy Land.&quot; They also called for assurances to be given to the Christian community in Jerusalem following the increasing levels of extremist threats against them. At a recent meeting with the Jordanian Parliament Committee of External Affairs in Amman, the Heads of Churches raised concerns about the future of a continued presence of Christians, specifically Arabic Christians, in Jordan, Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.</p><p>The statement by the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Hosam Naoum, can be read here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fj-diocese.org%2Fwordpress%2F2023%2F01%2F04%2Fstatement-on-the-recent-vandalism-and-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion-4-january-2023%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=WdBwGrAWNln1ikEfZECTdl%2FmbmmsOhYxtXygljd%2BrSk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/2023/01/04/statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-and-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion-4-january-2023/</a><br> <br> The statements of the Patriarchs and Head of all Churches in Jerusalem can be read here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fj-diocese.org%2Fwordpress%2F2023%2F01%2F05%2Fhead-of-churches-statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=r1cKj%2Bx0ZEGj9gyZ34sc0dxE6wfl4K%2B3u2tqylO4QLw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/2023/01/05/head-of-churches-statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion/</a></p><p>The statement of the World Council of Churches can be read here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oikoumene.org%2Fresources%2Fdocuments%2Fwcc-statement-on-desecration-of-historic-protestant-cemetery-in-jerusalem&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=htYbQCCPE3poMNX4mtrZwE%2FMiUxkG%2Bv362R5aefrDKw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/wcc-statement-on-desecration-of-historic-protestant-cemetery-in-jerusalem</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/03/2023 15:51:16 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1585226

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2023
	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: Food Banks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will hold discussions with the Church of England on taking steps to help increase foodbank donations.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	142703
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2023 answer text <p>A debate about the pressures on the cost of living was held in the General Synod at its February 2023 sessions. Renewed calls and commitments were made there to provide continuing support for the most vulnerable, through parish-based local community partnerships with charities and food bank providers</p><p><br>The Trussell Trust report that their network of food banks receives a significant proportion of their donations from churches and despite a fall during the pandemic when church congregations were not meeting, donations have increased again over the last year, despite the increasing costs that churches and congregants face themselves. <br> <br>Ensuring that donations keep match with demand is crucial for helping food banks to support everyone who needs them, though decreasing overall demand in the longer term is a shared goal of the Church, providers and Government</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 01/03/2023 11:02:15 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1584309

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Festivals and Special Occasions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support parish churches in holding events for (a) families and (b) other individuals.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	140147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>A vibrant children’s and youth ministry is often a key component of church growth and creates intergenerational support for new parents and caregivers from experienced parents, grandparents and youth workers. Most Church of England parishes provide activities to engage with families and young people. Examples include breakfast, lunch and holiday clubs, youth clubs, messy church and events in partnership with local authorities, other churches and faith communities. Most dioceses have specialist children, youth or families advisers. More information and resources can be found on the Church of England website here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fabout%2Fchildren-and-young-people%2Four-work-children-and-young-people&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C38c365b3cc9946db7f6b08db0df14761%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638119102153110797%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=N%2BmbjAc6UsTc0C5j5O74A2L8X%2BRsc7JYcLR7e3ycvz4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Our work with children and young people | The Church of England</a></p><p>The Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households will soon be publishing a report looking at the role of the family in today’s society. Details of the Commission are here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fabout%2Farchbishops-commissions%2Ffamilies-and-households-commission&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C38c365b3cc9946db7f6b08db0df14761%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638119102153110797%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=kEHHjqOzGZDpJYym6PLIrXFP3ExNcc8xSZXK0QFvzP8%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Families and Households Commission | The Church of England</a> .</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/02/2023 17:48:31 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1579490

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Rural Areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions he has had with relevant funding bodies on funding for smaller churches, including those in rural villages.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	129780
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>Officials from the National Church Institutions are seeking a meeting with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to discuss the 2017 independent Taylor report on the sustainability of Church Buildings. Despite being commissioned by the Government, the Government has yet to respond.</p><p>The Church Commissioners are providing £11million in funding for 2023-25 to support a new “Buildings for Mission” programme to provide support, through dioceses, to local parishes with the challenges they face in maintaining their church buildings.</p><p>National grant funding is no longer ring-fenced for religious buildings despite the largest number of listed buildings in the country being from that classification. While grant funding is also available from national and local charities, this can only go so far. The Church of England is grateful to the great many congregations and local philanthropists who continue, despite current financial difficulties, to support the work of the Church.</p><p>Recent reports from the National Churches Trust have shown that every £1 invested in a church building returns £16 to the community in other services and facilities. If the Church can spend less time on repairing buildings, an even greater focus could be given to supporting the communities it serves. The evidence for this can be found in the 2021 House of Good report, available at: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalchurchestrust.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FGADS1597%2520%25E2%2580%2593%2520NCT%2520House%2520of%2520Good%25202021%2520V7%2520SINGLE-PAGES.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C552d0047f19347a2cec208daffc427fe%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638103516281887456%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=0ILjNDfV%2FcwAc%2FlvI5qVt001QAPNL1wA9aDaMGcdfHM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">House of Good 2021</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 16:37:57 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon