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722426

registered interest
date	19/04/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Homelessness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support local projects tackling homelessness.
tabling member constituency	Torbay
tabling member printed	Kevin Foster
uin	71313
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2017 answer text <p>At parish and diocesan level the Church is closely involved in providing support to homeless people through night shelters and other activities, and raising funds and awareness. Recently in the House of Lords bishops supported the Homelessness Reduction Bill.</p><p>In the Torbay area the Vicar on the Streets initiative undertaken by Revd Gary Deighton of St George's Church, Goodrington, and the Winter Night Shelter run by local churches have both made a real difference to the issues of homelessness. The clergy and parishioners of Goodrington and Torbay have raised nearly five thousand pounds over the period of Lent to support the Shekinah Mission, which works across Devon to provide a safe space for people to develop their skills, regain their self-worth and go on to live independent and fulfilling lives.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 24/04/2017 10:03:04 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster

715574

registered interest
date	30/03/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Peterborough
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions she has had with the Diocese of Peterborough on the proposals for alterations to St Botolph's Church in Longthorpe, Peterborough; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Peterborough
tabling member printed	Mr Stewart Jackson
uin	70163
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2017 answer text <p>St Botolph’s in Longthorpe is a 700 year old church. The interior is by no means original, having been altered and changed over the centuries. All parishes that wish to alter their church interiors are required to seek advice and permission from a variety of bodies before a reordering can take place. Parishes undertaking such large scale reordering schemes do not therefore do so lightly. The usual reasons are that the interior no longer serves the needs of the parish and worshiping community. This appears to have been the case at St Botolph’s where members of the congregation need wheelchair access.</p><p>The Church Buildings Council of the Church of England were asked to advise the local Diocesan Advisory Committee in Peterborough when the scheme was initially proposed in 2015 and were supportive of the change. The alterations proposed make reasonable adjustments to the building, which will facilitate the smoother operation of services, funerals and weddings. They will also enable the priest to face the congregation during services, provide wheelchair access and offer a larger children’s area.</p><p>When considering potential alterations, the Church and the Diocesan Consistory Courts must balance the needs of the congregation and parish against any architectural merit the existing furniture or layout may have. When a reordering is done well it often brings with it very positive opportunities for community and congregation to offer new facilities, events and activities, which ultimately bring the Church back to its original purpose to be a space for all in the local community.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 18/04/2017 12:17:27 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

722068

registered interest
date	30/03/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Debt Rescheduling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church of England will take steps to support initiatives which provide indebted households with financial breathing space.
tabling member constituency	Kettering
tabling member printed	Mr Philip Hollobone
uin	909692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>The Church of England supports the Breathing Space campaign of The Children’s Society and StepChange. The Church has considerable experience of supporting people in financial difficulty and has for the last four years been actively promoting credit unions and financial education within its school and church networks. <br>Additionally, as part of the Just Finance Foundation, LifeSavers is a national, financial education programme for primary schools, equipping children with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to manage money well and prepare them for the opportunities and challenges that money brings in life.</p><p>It offers schools:<br>• Free and comprehensive sets of classroom and collective worship resources,<br>• CPD training in how to develop a whole school approach to financial education<br>• advice on setting up a school savings club<br>• ideas for engaging parents designed to give children a practical experience of handling money and ensure that positive messages about money are reinforced at home.</p><p>More information can be found here: <a href="https://justfinancefoundation.org.uk/act/lifesavers/" target="_blank">https://justfinancefoundation.org.uk/act/lifesavers/</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 20/04/2017 16:01:38 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	1537 label Biography information for Mr Philip Hollobone

722425

registered interest
date	30/03/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England provides for people affected by domestic violence and abuse.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Oliver Colvile
uin	909697
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>On 15th March 2017 the Church of England’s House of Bishops published “Responding Well to Domestic Abuse: Policy and Practice Guidance”, which urges church communities to address the issue of domestic abuse and raise awareness of its impact on adults and children. The document can be seen at: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media/3896806/responding-well-to-domestic-abuse-2017.pdf%20" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/media/3896806/responding-well-to-domestic-abuse-2017.pdf </a></p><p>The updated practice guidance and policy encourages churches to become places of safety where domestic abuse is taken seriously, survivors are believed and respected, and alleged or known perpetrators challenged. The updated document reflects legislative and other changes since guidance was last issued in 2006.</p><p>Under the policy Church leaders and Officers working with children, young people and vulnerable adults will be expected to undergo domestic abuse training, with the issue being raised in appropriate contexts within church life including youth groups, marriage preparation and ordinand training. They will also be expected to work closely with statutory and other specialist organisations.</p><p>In the House of Lords this session bishops supported the passage of the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 20/04/2017 15:45:09 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	4022 label Biography information for Oliver Colvile

722427

registered interest
date	30/03/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	House of Lords: Reform
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the policy of the Church of England is on reducing the membership of the House of Lords.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	909694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2017 answer text <p>In December the House of Lords passed a motion that its size ought to be reduced. The Bishop of Birmingham, who is Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, supported that motion and has since made a submission to the Committee set up by the Lord Speaker to look at options for reducing the size. Its report is awaited.</p><p>For many years now the public responses of the Church to proposals for Lords reform have highlighted the problem of the Second Chamber being too large and have called for action to address it.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 20/04/2017 15:36:50 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

712373

registered interest
date	20/03/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Yoga
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what guidance is issued to churches on allowing church premises to be used for yoga classes.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	68543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2017 answer text <p>The Church of England takes a flexible approach to yoga classes in church halls, with decisions left to the discretion of the local Parochial Church Council. Advice and guidance is available for parishes that are considering hiring their church hall out, which can be found here <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media/59302/NRM%20guidance.doc" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/media/59302/NRM%20guidance.doc</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 23/03/2017 16:05:56 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire