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1653437

registered interest
date	17/07/2023
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, with reference to the announcement by the Archbishop of York of an independent inquiry into the decision to close down the Independent Safeguarding Board, if he will publish a copy of the inquiry's finings once available.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	194316
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The Archbishop of York has committed that the findings of this review will be made public.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:23:48 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1651548

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	Religion: Education
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 (a) education and (b) the promotion of values-based learning in schools.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	193111
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>Church of England Schools provide an education to approximately one million children a day. A quarter of all primary schools, 1,540 academies, 280 Multi Academy Trusts, and 500 independent schools across England have a Church of England ethos.</p><p>The Church of England Foundation for Education Leadership supports teachers, headteachers and senior management teams alongside 22,500 governors to develop the skills they need. More information about the Foundation is available here: <a href="https://www.cefel.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.cefel.org.uk/</a></p><p>In each diocese a Diocesan Board of Education supports church schools, which represents an annual investment of over £15 million</p><p>The Church of England vision for education focuses on the development of the common good for the whole community, prioritising the development of four key areas: wisdom, hope, community and dignity. More information about the vision, including detail about how it is lived out in schools, is available here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/education-and-schools/vision-education" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/about/education-and-schools/vision-education</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/07/2023 23:04:24 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

1651573

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: Greater Manchester
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 Parishes currently have interregnums in the Diocese of Manchester.
tabling member constituency	Bury North
tabling member printed	James Daly
uin	193187
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>The appointment of parish priests is a matter for diocesan bishops. The information is not held centrally by the National Church Institutions.</p><p>You may wish to enquire with the Manchester Diocese: <a href="https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/our-staff/" target="_blank">https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/our-staff/</a></p><p>or with the Bishop of Manchester: <a href="https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/bishops/bishopmanchester.php" target="_blank">https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/bishops/bishopmanchester.php</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/07/2023 23:01:38 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4854 label Biography information for James Daly

1650994

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
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, whether he has had recent discussions with local dioceses on the potential merits of devolving budgets.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	192872
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Parishes already have autonomy over their finances. The Church of England has a devolved structure with operational budgets managed at the parish, diocese and national levels. Each level makes day-to-day and long-term spending decisions appropriate to its activity. There are no plans to devolve further budgetary functions.</p><p>The Church Commissioners make significant money available each year through the Archbishops' Council to support various initiatives at the diocesan and parish levels. Recent funds have included money to increase opportunity for those with a vocation to train for ministry, supporting clergy posts of first responsibility, funding parish churches upgrading heating systems and giving hardship grants to dioceses to support clergy in need. <br> <br> The Church Commissioners are now working with a new Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board to oversee the distribution of its lowest-income communities and strategic development project funding. The latest report from the Strategic Mission and Misntry Board can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf</a></p><p><br> You can find more about the work of both the Archbishops' Council and the Church Commissioners to support parish and diocesan ministry in their Annual Reports here:</p><p>The Archbihsops' Council: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2308-2022-archbishops-council-annual-report.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2308-2022-archbishops-council-annual-report.pdf</a></p><p>The Church Commissioners: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1342-church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022-final.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1342-church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022-final.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:22:51 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650995

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
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 allocate funding to the least affluent areas in parishes.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	192873
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Parliament has most recently approved the Diocesan Stipends Funds<strong> </strong>(Amendment)<strong> </strong>Measure 2023, which has received Royal Assent. This Measure has simplified the process and enabled wealthy dioceses to share surplus funds from their Diocesan Stipends Funds with less affluent dioceses should they choose to do so. This money can only be spent on the stipends for clergy.</p><p>Additionally, the Church Commissioners, whose predecessor bodies were founded to support poor clergy and poor parishes by redistributing the wealth of the Church, continue that purpose today. The primary example is through the Lowest Income Communities Fund. The Church Commissioners have also been making new money available to support vocations, training new clergy, and supporting dioceses to afford larger numbers of clergy. This money has been administered through the Archbishops' Council.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:21:14 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650996

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
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 assessment the Church has made of the potential merit of separating the funding of upkeep of the material fabric of buildings and of ministers for the cure of souls.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	192874
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>While no specific assessment has been made of separating the upkeep of buildings from the ministers’ cure of souls, the National Church Institutions regularly review the pressure on parishes and clergy in public ministry and are committed to reducing the burdens of administration, operation, and management. The National Church Institutions continue to explore the opportunities to support parishes, and the Church Commissioners have recently launched the £14 million 'Buildings for Mission' fund, which includes funding for Church Building Support Officers and minor fabric repairs. The Church would like to thank the Government for introducing an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to clarify the law around churches being able to receive grant funding from local authorities.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:16:27 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650997

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
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 recent discussions he has had with the Church Commissions on the role of charitable trusts in upkeep of church buildings.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	192875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>I have not discussed with the Board of the Church Commissioners the role of charitable trusts. The Church Buildings Division of the national Church institutions are available to all parishes, diocese and cathedrals to offer advice and support about grants or maintenance. Parish Resources provides a list of grant funders. Details can be found here: <a href="https://www.parishresources.org.uk/resources-for-treasurers/funding/" target="_blank">https://www.parishresources.org.uk/resources-for-treasurers/funding/</a></p><p>No major heritage funder, such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NHLF), has retained a ring-fenced fund to support the repair and maintain religious buildings and ecclesiastical heritage. However, the NLHF new ten-year strategy will include places of worship alongside other heritage assets.</p><p>The Church of England is therefore grateful to the local philanthropists and charitable trusts, large and small, that support the maintenance of our churches and Cathedrals alongside the support from the congregations. Without their support, our nationally and internationally important church architecture and the living heritage of our parish churches and cathedrals would be at even greater risk.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 15:04:26 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650998

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: VAT
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 Church has made representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on VAT relief for the upkeep of (a) newer and (b) all church buildings.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	192876
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The most recent discussions between the National Church Institutions and the Treasury about VAT on building repairs took place in 2021-2022 around the regular review of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.</p><p>Representations were also made in 2022 by the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the National Church Institutions to the Secretary of State for Brexit Opportunities suggesting that VAT on repair and restoration of religious buildings be zero-rated as part of the review of EU legislation. This request was supported by the Historic Building Alliance and the wider sector. The Brexit Opportunities Department declined to take the suggestion further at the time.</p><p>The Church of England is grateful to the Treasury for continuing the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme while the post-Brexit tax arrangements are bedding in as this gives certainty to churches undertaking repair and building work.</p><p>More information about the scheme can be found here: <a href="https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 14:54:48 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1650999

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
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
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 discussions the Church Commissioners have had with stakeholders on involving parishes in discussions over their future.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	192959
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Parish ministry is central to the day-to-day life of the Church of England. The General Synod, at its July 2023 session, discussed GS 2314 a paper from the Vision and Strategy Department about revitalising parish ministry. You can find the paper here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2314-revitalising-the-parish.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-2314-revitalising-the-parish.pdf</a><br> <br> Regarding the distribution of the Church Commissioners' funds, it will be for the new Strategic Mission and Ministry Board to decide who and how they consult before making their decisions and advice regarding future investment.</p><p>The latest report from the Strategic Mission and Misntry Board can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/gs-misc-1348-final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf</a></p><p>Information about the foundation of the Board and its purpose can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/new-board-oversee-unprecedented-church-england-investment-mission-and" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/new-board-oversee-unprecedented-church-england-investment-mission-and</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 25/07/2023 14:53:10 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell