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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

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

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

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