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1697792

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Christianity: Ceremonies
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 confirmations there were in each year since 1994.
tabling member constituency	Harborough
tabling member printed	Neil O'Brien
uin	19960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/04/2024 answer text <p>The table below shows the number of confirmations conducted in the Church of England each year since 1994. <br> <br> As the Established Church, every member of the public, whatever their belief, living within a parish in England has the right to access baptism, marriage and burial services of the Church of England as long as performing that service is lawful under Canon Law. <br> <br> The detailed data on the number of baptism and confirmation services is published in the annual data ‘Statistics for Mission’.</p><p>Post 2009 figures can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/statisticsformission2022_tables.xlsx" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/statisticsformission2022_tables.xlsx</a></p><p>Pre-2009 figures can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/data-services/resources-publications-and-data#na" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/about/data-services/resources-publications-and-data#na</a></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of confirmations</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1994</p></td><td><p>48,024</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1995</p></td><td><p>43,667</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1996</p></td><td><p>42,768</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1997</p></td><td><p>40,881</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1998</p></td><td><p>39,926</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1999</p></td><td><p>37,469</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2000</p></td><td><p>36,387</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2001</p></td><td><p>33,367</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2002</p></td><td><p>33,425</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2003</p></td><td><p>31,797</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004</p></td><td><p>30,425</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005</p></td><td><p>29,833</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>29,380</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>27,926</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>26,972</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>25,028</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>22,349</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>22,242</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>22,540</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>19,883</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>18,028</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>16,723</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>15,917</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>15,253</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>14,475</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>13,355</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>2,165</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>6,388</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>10,855</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/04/2024 13:14:53 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien

1697793

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Services: Attendance
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 average weekly attendance was in each year since 1994.
tabling member constituency	Harborough
tabling member printed	Neil O'Brien
uin	19961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/04/2024 answer text <p>The National Church Institutions first started collecting attendance data centrally in the autumn of 2000; as a result, it is not possible to publish data for the period 1994-1999. A methodological change also took place between 2000 and 2003 which means statistics for those years are not directly comparable with the data now collected. The data displayed below shows the longest period of comparable figures available, from 2003-2022.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Adult average weekly attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Child average weekly attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>All age average weekly attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Adult average Sunday attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Child average Sunday attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>All age average Sunday attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Adult average school service attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Child average school service attendance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>All age average school service attendance</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2003</strong></p></td><td><p>905,000</p></td><td><p>218,000</p></td><td><p>1,126,000</p></td><td><p>802,000</p></td><td><p>154,000</p></td><td><p>959,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2004</strong></p></td><td><p>896,000</p></td><td><p>220,000</p></td><td><p>1,119,000</p></td><td><p>789,000</p></td><td><p>151,000</p></td><td><p>942,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2005</strong></p></td><td><p>898,000</p></td><td><p>218,000</p></td><td><p>1,119,000</p></td><td><p>791,000</p></td><td><p>147,000</p></td><td><p>941,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2006</strong></p></td><td><p>894,000</p></td><td><p>217,000</p></td><td><p>1,115,000</p></td><td><p>786,000</p></td><td><p>145,000</p></td><td><p>935,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2007</strong></p></td><td><p>888,000</p></td><td><p>205,000</p></td><td><p>1,097,000</p></td><td><p>779,000</p></td><td><p>137,000</p></td><td><p>919,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2008</strong></p></td><td><p>877,000</p></td><td><p>215,000</p></td><td><p>1,094,000</p></td><td><p>768,000</p></td><td><p>139,000</p></td><td><p>910,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2009</strong></p></td><td><p>867,000</p></td><td><p>211,000</p></td><td><p>1,082,000</p></td><td><p>758,000</p></td><td><p>134,000</p></td><td><p>895,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2010</strong></p></td><td><p>851,000</p></td><td><p>208,000</p></td><td><p>1,062,000</p></td><td><p>741,000</p></td><td><p>130,000</p></td><td><p>874,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011</strong></p></td><td><p>840,000</p></td><td><p>207,000</p></td><td><p>1,050,000</p></td><td><p>728,000</p></td><td><p>127,000</p></td><td><p>858,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p>843,000</p></td><td><p>202,000</p></td><td><p>1,049,000</p></td><td><p>733,000</p></td><td><p>128,000</p></td><td><p>864,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p>836,000</p></td><td><p>157,000</p></td><td><p>994,000</p></td><td><p>721,000</p></td><td><p>124,000</p></td><td><p>845,000</p></td><td><p>23,000</p></td><td><p>103,000</p></td><td><p>126,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p>831,000</p></td><td><p>144,000</p></td><td><p>975,000</p></td><td><p>711,000</p></td><td><p>119,000</p></td><td><p>830,000</p></td><td><p>35,000</p></td><td><p>113,000</p></td><td><p>148,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p>819,000</p></td><td><p>140,000</p></td><td><p>959,000</p></td><td><p>698,000</p></td><td><p>115,000</p></td><td><p>813,000</p></td><td><p>40,000</p></td><td><p>131,000</p></td><td><p>171,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p>791,000</p></td><td><p>132,000</p></td><td><p>922,000</p></td><td><p>671,000</p></td><td><p>108,000</p></td><td><p>780,000</p></td><td><p>42,000</p></td><td><p>139,000</p></td><td><p>182,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p>767,000</p></td><td><p>127,000</p></td><td><p>895,000</p></td><td><p>653,000</p></td><td><p>104,000</p></td><td><p>757,000</p></td><td><p>46,000</p></td><td><p>152,000</p></td><td><p>198,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p>752,000</p></td><td><p>120,000</p></td><td><p>872,000</p></td><td><p>635,000</p></td><td><p>96,000</p></td><td><p>730,000</p></td><td><p>40,000</p></td><td><p>137,000</p></td><td><p>177,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019</strong></p></td><td><p>734,000</p></td><td><p>120,000</p></td><td><p>854,000</p></td><td><p>613,000</p></td><td><p>94,000</p></td><td><p>707,000</p></td><td><p>41,000</p></td><td><p>141,000</p></td><td><p>182,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2020</strong></p></td><td><p>317,000</p></td><td><p>28,000</p></td><td><p>345,000</p></td><td><p>273,000</p></td><td><p>24,000</p></td><td><p>298,000</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td><td><p>531,000</p></td><td><p>75,000</p></td><td><p>605,000</p></td><td><p>447,000</p></td><td><p>62,000</p></td><td><p>509,000</p></td><td><p>18,000</p></td><td><p>71,000</p></td><td><p>89,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2022</strong></p></td><td><p>567,000</p></td><td><p>87,000</p></td><td><p>654,000</p></td><td><p>477,000</p></td><td><p>70,000</p></td><td><p>547,000</p></td><td><p>36,000</p></td><td><p>128,000</p></td><td><p>164,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Attendance figures are collected from churches for the first 4 Sundays of October and in the following Monday-Saturday midweek periods - this exercise is referred to as the &quot;October count”. Figures include attendance at baptisms, as these usually take place in service, but not attendance at weddings and funerals. Attendance at services for schools is NOT included in the average weekly and average Sunday attendance figures but is reported separately.</p><p>In 2013, the question was changed to specifically ask about attendance at school services. Prior to 2013, it was apparent that some churches included such attendance in their reported figures while others did not. The change in question during this year resulted in a large change in the average weekly attendance from 2012 to 2013 and a more consistent practice across the church as a whole.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/04/2024 13:23:00 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien

1697794

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Redundant Churches
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 churches were deconsecrated in each year since 1994.
tabling member constituency	Harborough
tabling member printed	Neil O'Brien
uin	19962
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The Church of England law around church buildings is complex, but there are two main types; a consecrated church building where the bishop has performed a rite of consecration, setting the church building (and font and altar) aside for public worship, and a place of worship that has been licensed for that purpose by the bishop (not consecrated).</p><p>The Church of England does not have a rite of &quot;deconsecration&quot; as such – it is more usual to refer to the 'closure' of a church that is consecrated. The process of closure is a legal one, set out in the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 and its predecessor legislation. The bishop's consecration of a church building for worship cannot be removed. However, the legal effects of consecration can be withdrawn in order to allow the disposal of the building and a new use to be found for the building.</p><p>Since 1994 there have been around 650 closure schemes for consecrated church buildings brought forward under the Mission and Pastoral Measure. In some of those cases, the closed church building will have been sold to other Christian denominations for worship use, and in some cases some occasional worship continues, even if the closed church building is being used for community activities, for example.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/04/2024 12:27:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien

1697991

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Cumbria
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 churches in (a) Penrith and The Border constituency and (b) Cumbria.
tabling member constituency	Penrith and The Border
tabling member printed	Dr Neil Hudson
uin	19985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners and National Church Institutions provide support for the mission and ministry of all dioceses in the Church of England.</p><p>The Church Commissioners have made £340 million available to support a Diocesan Investment Programme overseen by the Strategic Mission and Ministry Board, which includes additional funding and resources for lowest-income communities.</p><p>In Carlisle Diocese, the Lowest Income Communities Fund has provided £560,000 a year to support a range of projects in Barrow, South and West Carlisle, Workington, Whitehaven, and Maryport. Additional grants from the Strategic Development Fund totalling £ 1.6 million over five years have been awarded. The project funds five new pioneer enabler roles, which in addition to training and support, will help the Diocese reach those groups who are not typically represented in congregations in Carlisle.</p><p>Support is available to all churches in Penrith and The Border and across the Diocese with maintenance and management of church buildings via the Buildings for Mission fund, which will provide small grants for repairs and restoration and a dedicated support officer to advise parishes.</p><p>Other grants are available from the Diocese supported by the National Church Institutions to enable parishes to move towards Net Zero and increase capacity building at a parish level with youth work, internships, and vocations, and to support better stewardship of church buildings, to upgrade facilities and technology, and enable easier donation and giving. <br> <br> To find out more about the work underway across Cumbria, Carlisle and Penrith, please contact the Acting Bishop, The Rt Rev Rob Saner-Haigh, Bishop of Penrith, whose details are here: <a href="https://www.carlislediocese.org.uk/bishops-and-senior-clergy/" target="_blank">https://www.carlislediocese.org.uk/bishops-and-senior-clergy/</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/04/2024 12:31:39 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4853 label Biography information for Dr Neil Hudson