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828329

registered interest
date	23/01/2018
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Religion: Education
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 the Church of England has had with the Department for Education on ensuring that religious studies remains a priority in schools.
tabling member constituency	Gillingham and Rainham
tabling member printed	Rehman Chishti
uin	903525
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2018 answer text <p>The Education Office of the Church of England is in regular dialogue with the Department for Education and is a member of the ‘Faith Providers’ group, which meets frequently with the Department to discuss a range of issues connected with schools of a religious character. One of the issues that the Office has raised in those discussions is the concern that Religious Education is not included within the EBacc.</p><p>The Education Office has also submitted written and oral evidence to the Commission on Religious Education and, following the publication of its interim report, has discussed its findings with the Commissioners. The Education Office is part of a programme run by the Theos Think Tank, bringing together leading players in RE with officials from the Department for Education and also the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss a range of issues including RE.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 25/01/2018 16:35:23 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	3987 label Biography information for Rehman Chishti

827259

registered interest
date	22/01/2018
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Rt. Hon. Member for Meriden representing the Church Commissioners what the policy of the Church of England is on fracking on land owned by the Church of England.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	123905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2018 answer text <p>All oil and gas deposits in the UK are owned by the Crown. There are no plans for the Church Commissioners to use its land or mineral rights for the purpose of fracking.</p><p>As a policy, The Church Commissioners do not seek applications for seismic drilling/exploration and fracking. Allowing seismic testing/exploratory drilling does not imply approval of fracking, litigation risks arise for landowners should they wish to oppose a request to carry out geophysical surveys on their land. The Church Commissioners seek to minimise this risk.</p><p>The Church Commissioners are responsible landowners and landlords and we seek to protect both our interests and those of our tenants. The Church does not have an official position on fracking and recognises it’s a controversial and evolving issue and people within the church hold a range of views. The Church of England issued a Briefing Paper on Shale Gas and Fracking in December 2016 which can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/shale-gas-and-fracking.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/shale-gas-and-fracking.pdf </a><br></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 25/01/2018 09:28:11 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

819808

registered interest
date	10/01/2018
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Redundant Churches: Eastbourne
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 Commissioners will extend the period for consultation on the proposed demolition of St Elisabeth's Church, Eastbourne, while continuing with their plans to develop that site.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	121880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2018 answer text <p>The consultation period concerning the draft Pastoral (Church Buildings Disposal) Scheme for the demolition of St Elisabeth’s Church at Eastbourne ran from the 17<sup>th</sup> November until the 8<sup>th</sup> of January. The publication of the consultation followed a period of extensive liaison by the Church Commissioners with various interested parties in the future of the closed church. The building has been closed for regular public worship since 2002.</p><p> </p><p>With regard to the future of the murals by Hans Feibusch, the draft Scheme provides for further time (until 1 September 2018) for potential recipients of the murals to produce a viable proposal for their relocation. This period had already been extended and the Church Commissioners remain open to discussions with any interested party in resolving their future.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 15/01/2018 18:16:29 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

816856

registered interest
date	05/01/2018
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Nottinghamsshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on securing visitor toilets for Scrooby church.
tabling member constituency	Bassetlaw
tabling member printed	John Mann
uin	121283
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2018 answer text <p>The parish of Scrooby is still currently in interregnum.</p><p>As indicated in my answer on the 05 September 2017 to question <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-19/6282/" target="_blank">6282 </a>it is my understanding that the Parish Council, congregation, and the wider community have taken the decision to improve the facilities in the nearby village hall, rather than at St Wilfrid’s Church. The decision was in part a consequence of the difficulty of finding a practical and cost-effective way to connect the church with the local sewerage network.</p><p>As each church is unique, the Parochial Church Council with the help of the Diocesan Advisory Committee needs to consider how best any new facilities can be accommodated. There may be cases where the space will not comfortably accommodate a toilet or indeed a kitchen, office or meeting room, alongside the liturgical space. There may also be technical or practical difficulties, as in this case.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 11/01/2018 16:46:33 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	1387 label Biography information for Lord Mann

809693

registered interest
date	19/12/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Commissioners: Written Questions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how many and what proportion of the Church Commissioners' Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions in the 2017-18 Session to date have referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	120313
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2017 answer text <p>In the 2017-18 Session, to date, no answer given by the Church Commissioners has referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 21/12/2017 09:55:38 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

800864

registered interest
date	05/12/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Pupils: Bullying
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 assessment has been made of the merits of the Church of England's recent guidance to nursery and primary school teachers on transphobic bullying.
tabling member constituency	North East Hampshire
tabling member printed	Mr Ranil Jayawardena
uin	902815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2017 answer text <p>The Church of England Education Office issued an updated version of their Valuing All God’s Children guidance in November 2017. This guidance is designed to support primary and secondary schools in addressing homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. The new guidance reflects the latest equalities legislation, enabling schools to be inclusive environments where all pupils are treated with dignity and respect in line with the Church of England’s Vision for Education.</p><p>The guidance has been distributed to every Church of England primary and secondary school along with every Diocesan Director of Education. This guidance has been welcomed by the schools and Directors of Education. Training to accompany the guidance will be rolled out to dioceses and schools from February next year.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 07/12/2017 11:04:38 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	4498 label Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena

795294

registered interest
date	27/11/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Honourable Member for Meridan, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in the UK who face difficulties in following their faith in the (a) workplace and the (b) public forum.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	115715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2017 answer text <p>At its July 2012 session the General Synod of the Church of England passed the following motion:</p><p>“That this Synod express its conviction that it is the calling of Christians to order and govern our lives in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture, and to manifest our faith in public life as well as in private, giving expression to our beliefs in the written and spoken word, and in practical acts of service to the local community and to the nation.‟</p><p>Bishops of the Church of England frequently speak about the need to ensure freedom of expression for Christians and for those of other faiths and none in the public square. In their joint letter before the last General Election, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote:</p><p>“Contemporary politics needs to re-evaluate the importance of religious belief. The assumptions of secularism are not a reliable guide to the way the world works, nor will they enable us to understand the place of faith in other people’s lives. Parishes and Chaplaincies of the Church of England serve people of all faiths and none. Their contribution and that of other denominations and faiths to the well-being of the nation is immense – schools, food banks, social support, childcare among many others – and is freely offered. But the role of faith in society is not just measured in terms of service delivery...The new Parliament, if it is to take religious freedom seriously, must treat as an essential task the improvement of religious literacy.”</p><p>The full text can be read here: <a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchurchinparliament.org%2F2017%2F05%2F09%2Fgeneral-election-2017-archbishops-issue-election-letter%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Ccaroline.spelman.mp%40parliament.uk%7Cf043429f8fd9451b370408d537460623%7C1ce6dd9eb3374088be5e8dbbec04b34a%7C0%7C0%7C636475696241825720&amp;sdata=OroVW92iBPZ0GqneZSZfTddQsmJ1FDDGslmLN1EJQnY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://churchinparliament.org/2017/05/09/general-election-2017-archbishops-issue-election-letter/</a></p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 29/11/2017 16:39:44 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

776837

registered interest
date	24/10/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Anniversaries: Scotland
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 assessment the Church of England has made of whether to mark the 400th anniversary of imposition of the Five Articles of Perth by James I of England and VI of Scotland on the Church of Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
uin	109298
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2017 answer text <p>The decision to mark the 400<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Five Articles of Perth is not a matter for the Church of England, being as they were specific to the Crown and the Church of Scotland. This decision is a matter for the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church.</p><p> </p><p>Should they wish to mark this anniversary, it would be their decision as to whether to invite the Church of England to participate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 06/11/2017 16:08:29 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

776838

registered interest
date	24/10/2017
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Music
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 is of the Church Commissioners on the playing of secular music in (a) St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church and (b) all churches.
tabling member constituency	Kettering
tabling member printed	Mr Philip Hollobone
uin	109263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2017 answer text <p>The Church of England’s ‘Open and Sustainable Churches’ programme operates through its ChurchCare website [http://www.churchcare.co.uk/churches/open-sustainable]. This programme offers advice and encouragement to churches on how to use imaginative and strategic ways to make their spaces available for purposes as well as worship. These could be community activities, cultural or even commercial events. There is no specific national policy about the use of churches for concerts, as this is usually left to the discretion of the Vicar and the Parochial Church Council.</p><p> </p><p>Following a decision by the Parochial Church Council of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate the church will end its programme of offering hire space to musicians from 2018. In its place, the church will offer monthly Saturday evening concerts in partnership with external musical groups, including classical and choral music both sacred and secular, as well as Monday evening concerts and guest choirs at Evensong.</p><p> </p><p>From 1 November, the Diocese of London will also launch a website that will provide easy access to hire space and booking options for musicians in London, as well as a tool to promote concerts and events.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 30/10/2017 16:19:11 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	1537 label Biography information for Mr Philip Hollobone

765192

registered interest
date	06/10/2017
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 right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England has taken to prevent the imposition of (a) the death penalty and (b) other criminal sanctions on LGBT people on account of their sexuality.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	105618
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2017 answer text <p>The Communique that followed the January 2016 meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion stated that “the Primates condemned homophobic prejudice and violence and resolved to work together to offer pastoral care and loving service irrespective of sexual orientation. This conviction arises out of our discipleship of Jesus Christ. The Primates reaffirmed their rejection of criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people.&quot;</p><p>In the House of Lords bishops have recently raised concerns about persecution and detention of LGBT citizens in Chechnya and have supported the need to appoint an LGBT advocate at the UN.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 10/10/2017 16:03:35 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw