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1356890

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	Church of England: Assets
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 estimate he has made of the value of investment and liquid assets of the Church of England (a) centrally and (b) by diocese and cathedral, including those of the Church Commissioners less the liability for pensions for which they are responsible.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	51619
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2021 answer text <p>At the end of 2020 the total value of the Church Commissioners’ assets, less the estimated value of future pensions obligations, was £7,573m.</p><p>The Commissioners have additional and ongoing statutory funding obligations over and above pension liabilities, including support for the work of bishops and cathedrals. The Commissioners also make grants to support the work of the Church across the country, with a focus on supporting the poorest communities.</p><p>The Commissioners plan their spending in three year cycles and estimated expenditure in 2020-22 is £930m including £383m for pensions.</p><p>Further information is available in the most recent annual report of the Church Commissioners: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/church-commissioners-england/how-we-are-governed/publications" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/church-commissioners-england/how-we-are-governed/publications</a></p><p>The year end balances for Dioceses in 2019 (the most recent information available) were £1,692m in investments (the majority restricted for particular purposes) and £184m in cash. For cathedrals this was £524m in investments and £50m in cash. The majority of investment assets are in property investments, which are less liquid than stock market investments. Typically around two-thirds of diocesan incomes come from parish share, the majority of which is funded by individuals’ donations to Parochial Church Councils. This funding stream has been impacted by the pandemic and resulted in a significant draw on diocesan reserves.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 20/10/2021 17:14:45 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 23248 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1356891

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	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, how much has been paid in (a) National Lottery Funds and (b) Government grants to Church of England bodies including (i) dioceses, (ii) parochial church councils, (iii) cathedrals, (iv) the Church Commissioners and (v) the Churches Conservation Trust in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	51620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2021 answer text <p><em>Dioceses, parochial church councils and cathedrals:</em></p><p>The Church Commissioners do not hold figures broken down by Church of England diocese, parochial church council or cathedral, for National Lottery Heritage Fund or Government grants.</p><p>Grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to Church of England churches and cathedrals over the past five years are as follows. Brackets indicate the number of grants awarded:</p><p> </p><p>2016 £ 49,292,200 (166)</p><p> </p><p>2017 £ 25,264,900 (184)</p><p> </p><p>2018 £12,458,450 (144)</p><p> </p><p>2019 £11,652,300 (57)</p><p> </p><p>2020 £3,376,200 (67)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Government (DCMS) figures for grants equal to the value of VAT for works to listed Church of England places of worship over the past five years are:</p><p> </p><p>2016 £20,689,034</p><p> </p><p>2017 £23,839,469</p><p> </p><p>2018 £24,773,038</p><p> </p><p>2019 £24,522,362</p><p> </p><p>2020 £24,665,225</p><p> </p><p>This website, maintained by DCMS, contains details of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme and recent total disbursement: <a href="http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>Grants to Church of England listed places of worship under the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund in 2020-21 totalled £54,387,240, broken down as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Building type</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of grants</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total amount of funding</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cathedral</p></td><td><p>107</p></td><td><p>£29,424,529</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Major Parish Church</p></td><td><p>154</p></td><td><p>£14,903,597</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Parish Church</p></td><td><p>484</p></td><td><p>£9,889,114</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><em> Church Commissioners:</em></p><p> </p><p>The Church Commissioners do not receive funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund or Government grants.</p><p> </p><p><em>Churches Conservation Trust:</em></p><p> </p><p>The Churches Conservation Trust is an independent charity reporting to both Parliament and the General Synod. It receives income from donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and core funding from Government (DCMS) and the General Synod of the Church of England via the Church Commissioners. Funding for the last five years is as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2020/21</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lottery Grants</p></td><td><p>£1,325,882</p></td><td><p>£683,053</p></td><td><p>£537,795</p></td><td><p>£1,394,687</p></td><td><p>£2,193,611</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Government Grant Funding</p></td><td><p>£2,749,000</p></td><td><p>£2,738,001</p></td><td><p>£2,604,000</p></td><td><p>£2,608,000</p></td><td><p>£4,533,451 of which £2,788,000 grant in aid</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Church Grant Funding</p></td><td><p>£1,355,000</p></td><td><p>£1,355,000</p></td><td><p>£1,655,000</p></td><td><p>£1,430,000</p></td><td><p>£1,430,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Annual Report and Accounts of the Trust are laid before Parliament and are available at <a href="https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/annual-report-accounts.html" target="_blank">https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/annual-report-accounts.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The National Churches Trust October 2020 report ‘The House of Good’, found that the total economic and social value that church buildings generate in the UK amounted to at least £12.4 billion per year, an average of around £300,000 per church. The report can be viewed here: <a href="https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/" target="_blank">https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 20/10/2021 17:18:45 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 23249 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1356892

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	Church of England: Taxation
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 has been paid in (a) tax rebates, including of VAT on repairs and (b) Gift Aid to Church of England bodies including (i) dioceses, (ii) parochial church councils, (iii) cathedrals, (iv) the Church Commissioners and (v) the Churches Conservation Trust in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	51621
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2021 answer text <p><em>Dioceses, parochial church councils and cathedrals:</em></p><p>Government (DCMS) figures for grants equal to the value of VAT for works to listed places of worship over the past five years are below. These are grants to the value of VAT, not rebates. The Church Commissioners do not hold these figures broken down by Church of England diocese, parochial church council or cathedral:</p><p> </p><p>2016 £20,689,034.00</p><p> </p><p>2017 £23,839,469.00</p><p> </p><p>2018 £24,773,038.00</p><p> </p><p>2019 £24,522,362.00</p><p> </p><p>2020 £24,665,225.00</p><p> </p><p>This website, maintained by DCMS, contains details of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme and recent total disbursement: <a href="http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>Like all bodies that have charitable status, Gift Aid on donations can be claimed by parochial church councils, dioceses and cathedrals. The funding model of the Church of England means that the vast majority of donations from worshippers, visitors and other supporters are made to parochial church councils and to cathedral chapters. The Church Commissioners do not keep a record of Gift Aid receipts by dioceses, but the amount claimed will be modest.</p><p> </p><p>Parochial Church Council Gift Aid receipts for the past five years are:</p><p>2016 £91.9m</p><p>2017 £94.5m</p><p>2018 £94.3m</p><p>2019 £96.4m</p><p>2020 £91.3m*</p><p> </p><p>*The figure for 2020 is provisional and yet to be fully reviewed.</p><p>See also Parish Finance Statistics 2019, page 12: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Parish%20Finance%20Statistics%202019.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Parish%20Finance%20Statistics%202019.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>In 2018, the most recent year for which statistics are readily available, Church of England cathedrals reported in their accounts a total of £1.3m of Gift Aid from donations.</p><p> </p><p><em>Church Commissioners:</em></p><p>The Church Commissioners have not received any Gift Aid on donations made by individuals.</p><p> </p><p><em>Churches Conservation Trust:</em></p><p>The Churches Conservation Trust is an independent charity reporting to both Parliament and the General Synod. It receives income from donations from individuals, trusts and foundations, and core funding from Government (DCMS) and the General Synod of the Church of England via the Church Commissioners.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>2016/17</td><td>2017/18</td><td>2018/19</td><td>2019/20</td><td>2020/21</td></tr><tr><td>Tax Rebates / LPWGS*</td><td>£550,556</td><td>£239,520</td><td>£318,174</td><td>£289,460</td><td>£834,592</td></tr><tr><td>Gift Aid</td><td>£16,063</td><td>£22,756</td><td>£28,787</td><td>£19,824</td><td>£27,524</td></tr></tbody></table><p>*figure includes grants from the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme</p><p><br>The Annual Report and Accounts of the Trust are laid before Parliament and are available at <a href="https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/annual-report-accounts.html" target="_blank">https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/annual-report-accounts.html</a>*figure includes grants from the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 20/10/2021 17:30:24 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 23251 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1279600

registered interest
date	22/01/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Commissioners: Land
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 area of Church Commissioner-owned land tenancies, under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, that will come up for renewal in the next (a) five years and (b) 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	141939
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>Over 60% of the tenancies within the Church Commissioners’ rural portfolio are Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (AHA) tenancies. AHA tenancies granted prior to 11 July 1984 provide for rights of succession. Forecasting the rate and date of tenancy succession with any accuracy is challenging. This is because AHA tenancies can only be succeeded upon the death or retirement of an incumbent tenant and these dates are typically not known.</p><p>Specific criteria need to be met by a prospective successor to allow succession to take place. The criteria are reviewed on a case-by-case basis in the context of the tenant and their proposed successor’s situation at the time a succession is proposed. Currently, 17% of the Church Commissioners’ AHA tenants have no rights to succession, 62% have rights to one succession and 21% two remaining successions. As such, we anticipate potentially eligible successors to 83% of the Commissioners’ existing AHA tenancies may apply to succeed the tenancy.</p><p /><p /> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 27/01/2021 17:59:54 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1260520

registered interest
date	11/12/2020
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Commissioners: Land
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 10 December 2020 to Question 125956, whether the Commissioners in collaboration with the Land Registry has conducted a land survey of land assets held by the Church of England.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	128638
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2021 answer text <p>As a responsible landowner, the Church Commissioners comply with the requirements of the Land Registration Act 2002, and the Church Commissioners are only responsible for the land which they hold, not all Church of England land.</p><p>The Church Commissioner’s land has, to a large extent, been registered with the Land Registry, all such information is publicly available via the Land Registry. The 2002 Act does not provide for the Land Registry and the Church Commissioners to collaborate to undertake land surveys, nor does it require the Commissioners to have a policy on digital maps of their landholding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 128639 question first answered 08/01/2021 16:12:01 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1260521

registered interest
date	11/12/2020
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Commissioners: Land
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 10 December 2020 to Question 125956, whether the Commissioners have made an assessment of the level of compliance with the Land Registration Act 2002 of their policy on digitally mapped Church land assets.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	128639
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2021 answer text <p>As a responsible landowner, the Church Commissioners comply with the requirements of the Land Registration Act 2002, and the Church Commissioners are only responsible for the land which they hold, not all Church of England land.</p><p>The Church Commissioner’s land has, to a large extent, been registered with the Land Registry, all such information is publicly available via the Land Registry. The 2002 Act does not provide for the Land Registry and the Church Commissioners to collaborate to undertake land surveys, nor does it require the Commissioners to have a policy on digital maps of their landholding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 128638 question first answered 08/01/2021 16:12:01 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1258840

registered interest
date	07/12/2020
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Commissioners: Land
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 place in the Library a digitised map of all Church Commissioner landholdings.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	125956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>The land holdings owned by the Church Commissioners have to a large extent been registered with the Land Registry, and information on those holdings is publicly available via the Land Registry.</p><p>To compile and publish a digitised map of all land holdings in the manner requested would incur a disproportionate cost to the Church Commissioners.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/12/2020 14:56:01 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy