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1651547

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
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 ensure transparency and accountability in its financial operations.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	193110
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>The Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners are accountable to the General Synod where their annual reports and spending plans are debated and reviewed. Additionally the Church Commissioners lay their annual report before Parliament for consideration, copies of which are available in the Library and on the Church of England Website. <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022.pdf</a> As Second Church Estates Commissioner, I answer to the House of Commons for matters that include the operational and financial activities of the National Church Institutions.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/07/2023 22:57:40 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1651549

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
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 steps the Church is taking to (a) preserve and (b) restore (i) historic church buildings and (ii) heritage sites.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	193112
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>In 2020 the Church of England assessed the volume of work needed in its churches and cathedrals for preservation, repair and maintenance. The pandemic caused a considerable delay in the ability of parish churches and cathedrals to undertake repairs, which has caused a backlog of work. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the National Church Institutions assists parishes, dioceses and cathedrals in assessing the nature and priorities of the work required and supports them with guidance and advice.</p><p>The work of preservation, repair and maintenance is predominantly undertaken at a local level by thousands of unpaid volunteers, with financial help and support from donors and local grant-making charities.</p><p>By means of an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Government has recently agreed to clarify the law on churches being able to access Local Authority grants. This is very welcome and comes in response to many years of advocacy by church, heritage and Local Authority groups. The removal of ambiguity means that Local Authorities and parish councils in England will be able to issue grants to churches that will enable seed funding to repair, restore and upgrade facilities, which will enable churches to continue to serve their local communities as worship spaces, community hubs, and through social action projects.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/07/2023 22:58:56 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1651551

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
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: Technology
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 use (a) digital platforms and (b) other technologies to connect with wider audiences.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	193113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>The Church of England, through the work of its central Communications team, has a presence on the majority of social media channels and is producing content for a variety of different audiences and age groups. It has developed a smart speaker app which is useable with ‘Alexa’, provides liturgical resources via the Daily Prayer App, and recorded services to enable people who may not be able to attend a church in person to still participate in worship.</p><p>In the month of May 2023, the most recent for which material is available, Church of England content received 8.6 million impressions and the audience using the materials grew by an additional 4,000 unique users. Nearly three-quarters of a million people engaged with materials developed for the Coronation and the Church of England received 40,000 enquiries from the public via its various social/digital media platforms.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/07/2023 22:59:42 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1649551

registered interest
date	03/07/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Clergy: Homosexuality
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 of England General Synod on its expected timetable for bringing forward proposals on (a) blessings, (b) marriages and (c) rules for clergy in same-sex relationships.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	191996
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>In February 2023 the General Synod agreed proposals that would enable same-sex couples to come to church after a civil marriage or civil partnership to give thanks, dedicate their relationship to God and receive God’s blessing<em>. </em></p><p><em> </em>In my response to the Rt Hon Member’s oral question of 9<sup>th</sup> March, I said:</p><p>“The pastoral guidance is being worked on, and the bishops remain committed to implementing their response to Living in Love and Faith, which the General Synod approved last month. The timing may depend on the July Synod’s response to the pastoral guidance and “Prayers of Love and Faith”. The Synod is a democratic body and, like this Parliament, its decisions cannot be guaranteed in advance.” (Commons Hansard 9<sup>th</sup> March 2023, col. 409)</p><p>That answer was given in the hope that the necessary work would be completed in time for the July Synod to consider it, but was not intended as a guarantee that it would. While I understand that the work to produce the new pastoral guidance is progressing well, it is not at the stage where it is possible for it to be considered at the July sessions of the General Synod. Instead Synod members will be given an update and an opportunity to ask questions. It will be possible to consider a timetable for the introduction of the prayers of love and faith once other key elements, including the new pastoral guidance, are in place. All efforts are being made to progress the work.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 06/07/2023 17:00:34 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1648866

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Independent Safeguarding Board
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 took to resolve the dispute with members of the Independent Safeguarding Board before the decision was made to give them notice.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	191731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The Archbishops’ Council of the National Church Institutions is absolutely committed to developing fully independent scrutiny of safeguarding within the Church of England to ensure the Church of England is a safe place for everyone, to be transparent and accountable, and to hear the voices of victims and survivors. The actions of the Archbishops' Council and reasons for the decisions taken are set out here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/statement-archbishops-council-independent-safeguarding-board" target="_blank">Statement from Archbishops’ Council on the Independent Safeguarding Board | The Church of England</a></p><p>The work of independently reviewing cases will not stop, and the Archbishops’ Council has moved swiftly to put in place interim arrangements, which will be carried out as at present by external experts. The priority will now be to move to the next phase of setting up a fully independent Board, which will be fully separate from the Church. The Church of England will engage with victims and survivors and others to establish a process of working together to design a permanent independent oversight structure as soon as possible. It is not appointing further Board members at this stage.</p><p>The Archbishops' Council has been seeking to resolve the dispute in good faith. But because the two board members were reluctant to engage in those discussions, for example they had not met with the Acting Chair since March, with great regret the Archbishops’ Council felt this was the only way forward.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 191732 191733 191734 question first answered 03/07/2023 12:57:40 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1648867

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Independent Safeguarding Board
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 Commissioners made an assessment of the potential implications of any obligation to provide an independent mediator to resolve the Independent Safeguarding Board dispute.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	191732
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The Archbishops’ Council of the National Church Institutions is absolutely committed to developing fully independent scrutiny of safeguarding within the Church of England to ensure the Church of England is a safe place for everyone, to be transparent and accountable, and to hear the voices of victims and survivors. The actions of the Archbishops' Council and reasons for the decisions taken are set out here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/statement-archbishops-council-independent-safeguarding-board" target="_blank">Statement from Archbishops’ Council on the Independent Safeguarding Board | The Church of England</a></p><p>The work of independently reviewing cases will not stop, and the Archbishops’ Council has moved swiftly to put in place interim arrangements, which will be carried out as at present by external experts. The priority will now be to move to the next phase of setting up a fully independent Board, which will be fully separate from the Church. The Church of England will engage with victims and survivors and others to establish a process of working together to design a permanent independent oversight structure as soon as possible. It is not appointing further Board members at this stage.</p><p>The Archbishops' Council has been seeking to resolve the dispute in good faith. But because the two board members were reluctant to engage in those discussions, for example they had not met with the Acting Chair since March, with great regret the Archbishops’ Council felt this was the only way forward.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 191731 191733 191734 question first answered 03/07/2023 12:57:40 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1648868

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Independent Safeguarding Board: Public Appointments
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 process the Church is using to appoint new members of the Independent Safeguarding Board.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	191733
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The Archbishops’ Council of the National Church Institutions is absolutely committed to developing fully independent scrutiny of safeguarding within the Church of England to ensure the Church of England is a safe place for everyone, to be transparent and accountable, and to hear the voices of victims and survivors. The actions of the Archbishops' Council and reasons for the decisions taken are set out here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/statement-archbishops-council-independent-safeguarding-board" target="_blank">Statement from Archbishops’ Council on the Independent Safeguarding Board | The Church of England</a></p><p>The work of independently reviewing cases will not stop, and the Archbishops’ Council has moved swiftly to put in place interim arrangements, which will be carried out as at present by external experts. The priority will now be to move to the next phase of setting up a fully independent Board, which will be fully separate from the Church. The Church of England will engage with victims and survivors and others to establish a process of working together to design a permanent independent oversight structure as soon as possible. It is not appointing further Board members at this stage.</p><p>The Archbishops' Council has been seeking to resolve the dispute in good faith. But because the two board members were reluctant to engage in those discussions, for example they had not met with the Acting Chair since March, with great regret the Archbishops’ Council felt this was the only way forward.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 191731 191732 191734 question first answered 03/07/2023 12:57:40 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1648869

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Independent Safeguarding Board
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 work started in phase one of the Independent Safeguarding Board will be completed following the disbanding of the Board.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	191734
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The Archbishops’ Council of the National Church Institutions is absolutely committed to developing fully independent scrutiny of safeguarding within the Church of England to ensure the Church of England is a safe place for everyone, to be transparent and accountable, and to hear the voices of victims and survivors. The actions of the Archbishops' Council and reasons for the decisions taken are set out here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/statement-archbishops-council-independent-safeguarding-board" target="_blank">Statement from Archbishops’ Council on the Independent Safeguarding Board | The Church of England</a></p><p>The work of independently reviewing cases will not stop, and the Archbishops’ Council has moved swiftly to put in place interim arrangements, which will be carried out as at present by external experts. The priority will now be to move to the next phase of setting up a fully independent Board, which will be fully separate from the Church. The Church of England will engage with victims and survivors and others to establish a process of working together to design a permanent independent oversight structure as soon as possible. It is not appointing further Board members at this stage.</p><p>The Archbishops' Council has been seeking to resolve the dispute in good faith. But because the two board members were reluctant to engage in those discussions, for example they had not met with the Acting Chair since March, with great regret the Archbishops’ Council felt this was the only way forward.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 191731 191732 191733 question first answered 03/07/2023 12:57:40 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1647712

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Homelessness and Poverty
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 progress the Church has made on its initiatives to combat (a) homelessness and (b) poverty.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	191066
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Bishop of Chelmsford, who is the Lead Bishop for Housing, has warmly welcomed the ’Homewards’ initiative of the Prince of Wales. The Church works extensively at a local level to tackle homelessness, often in partnership with charities and volunteers.</p><p>The report of the Archbishops' Housing Commission, ‘Coming Home’, made many recommendations to church and Government and highlighted the work undertaken by the church to provide and develop truly affordable housing in local communities. It can be seen here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/archbishops-commissions/housing-church-and-community/about-coming-home" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/about/archbishops-commissions/housing-church-and-community/about-coming-home</a></p><p>77% of churches responding to a 2019 survey reported involvement in one or more forms of social action, with 35,000 social action projects being either directly run, hosted, or supported in other ways. A 2020 report from the National Churches Trust found that church buildings create £12.4 billion economic and social value every year, of which £10 billion is ‘non-market (social and wellbeing) value’.</p><p>Churches in city centres often open in the evening to be night shelters, particularly in the winter, and several Anglican cathedrals run dedicated projects. More information about one of these, the Archer project in Sheffield, can be found here: <a href="https://www.archerproject.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.archerproject.org.uk/</a> Based in Sheffield Cathedral it provides a kitchen, medical room and educational and activity space. The project is also a multi-agency hub with GP, nursing and dentistry surgeries, outreach from rough sleeper teams, drug and alcohol outreach teams, hosting for mental health appointments, probation services, accommodation services and 1:1 team working with people with complex needs. In 2021 the project engaged with over 1,000 individuals a year, around 70-80 per day.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 06/07/2023 17:04:27 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1647713

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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: Young People
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 encourage participation by young people in its decision-making processes.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	191067
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>At the July 2023 meeting of the General Synod a Private Members Motion will be debated that proposes that five young members be co-opted to the General Synod and one to the Board of the Archbishops' Council. GS 2298A, a paper prepared for that debate can be read here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2298a-youth-synod-1.pdf" target="_blank">gs-2298a-youth-synod-1.pdf (churchofengland.org)</a></p><p>GS2298B, a paper circulated to the General Synod by the Secretary-General sets out plans for future engagement with young people and diocesan youth councils and can be seen here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2298b-sec-gen-youth-representation.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2298b-sec-gen-youth-representation.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 06/07/2023 17:05:29 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight