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1548626

registered interest
date	05/12/2022
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Energy
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 expects dioceses to pass the Energy Costs Grant direct to parishes.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	102787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2022 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners were pleased to provide £15m to the Archbishops’ Council for distribution to dioceses for Energy Costs Grants. All dioceses received a share of this Grant in October. The main purpose of the Grant is to help Parochial Church Councils to cover the increased cost of heating and lighting church buildings this winter. <br> <br> Dioceses are also able to use some of their Grants to supplement the £3m Ministers’ Hardship Fund announced earlier in the year to provide targeted hardship payments for clergy and other employed ministers to cover household bills, in particular energy costs.</p><p>The Church Commissioners intend to gather feedback in the New Year to see how much of the Grant dioceses have allocated, by what mechanism they distributed it, and what proportion was used to supplement the Ministry Hardship Fund.</p><p>In addition to support for parishes and clergy, the Church of England has opened its doors locally to support or provide Warm Spaces. These may be in churches, village halls or other suitable community spaces such as libraries or cafes. More information about the Warm Welcome Campaign and where to locate your nearest warm space can be found here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.warmwelcome.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C3ca826610e6f40ae3a6408dadf8fbee2%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638068105722269117%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=UNv1VKQong%2FrED55qfJCCLDSJ%2BqYeM3wBx0MiiY0SbI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.warmwelcome.uk/</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 18/12/2022 17:03:59 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1544912

registered interest
date	23/11/2022
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, which (a) body or (b) person asked the Church Commissioners to review the Mission and Pastoral Measure.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	94673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2022 answer text <p>In 2019 the Legislative Reform Committee of the Archbishops’ Council was tasked with considering reviews of primary legislation. In July 2020 the Archbishops’ Council approved a recommendation from the Committee that the Mission and Pastoral Measure be reviewed, and this was endorsed by the House of Bishops at their meeting in July 2020. The Church Commissioners were then asked by the Archbishops’ Council to lead on a review, as they have the governance and management responsibility for the legislation.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/12/2022 15:51:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1544913

registered interest
date	23/11/2022
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011
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 General Synod asked the Church Commissioners to continue work on the review of the Mission and Pastoral Measure and bring forward draft proposals for debate in February 2023.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	94674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2022 answer text <p>The Mission, Pastoral &amp; Church Property Committee of the Church Commissioners tabled a paper for debate at the July 2021 Synod. The motion and vote was:</p><p>‘That this Synod a) welcome the consultation paper Mission in Revision: A Review of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 (GS 2222); b) commend it for discussion; and c) invite the Archbishops’ Council, the Legislative Reform Committee and the Church Commissioners to bring forward draft legislation for consideration by the Synod no later than July 2022.’</p><p>In a counted vote of the whole Synod the voting was as follows: <br>• In favour - 278 <br>• Against – 2 <br>• Abstentions – 7</p><p>The original timetable was extended as the Commissioners decided that further consultation was needed before any proposals came to Synod. It is hoped that the Business Committee of the General Synod will schedule the Mission and Pastoral Measure as an item at the July 2023 meeting and that the Synod will be presented with either an update or more specific proposals, depending on progress.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/12/2022 15:53:44 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1544947

registered interest
date	23/11/2022
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 he has had with the General Synod on the steps it will take to agree the Vision and Strategy for the Church of England in the 2020s.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	94675
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2022 answer text <p>I have had no discussions with the Business Committee of the General Synod about the Vision and Strategy.</p><p>The Vision and Strategy was debated in July 2022, when the Synod voted in favour of the following motion:</p><p>‘That this Synod: <br>(a) welcome the spending plans by the Church Commissioners and Archbishops’ Council, set out in GS 2262, for financial distributions over 2023 to 2025 and indicative distributions for the subsequent six years;</p><p>(b) welcome the investment in ministry in parishes, chaplaincies, schools, cathedrals and other forms of church in support of the Church’s vision and strategy as set out in Annex A of GS 2262; and</p><p>(c) welcome the focused investment to support previously agreed commitments to a 2030 net zero carbon target and to address racial justice.’</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/12/2022 15:57:13 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1541732

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Cathedrals: Community Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, in what way cathedrals are supporting community cohesion in communities they serve.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	86476
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2022 answer text <p>First and foremost cathedrals are places of worship, but like parish churches they are also community buildings and often a focus for civic gatherings of faith, political and business leaders in our cities, which facilitate discussions for the common good. They are regularly used for pilgrimages, festivals, concerts, exhibitions and lectures, which are open to all in the community.</p><p>The 2021 report by the Association of English Cathedrals (<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.englishcathedrals.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F08%2FEconomic-Social-Impacts-of-Englands-Cathedrals-2019.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=RhjXu55btCQQQtdydo6Wuj5KLh2fyMDsXLvPGTeCchU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Economic Social Impacts of England’s Cathedrals</a>) put the combined economic value of cathedrals at approximately £235 million in local spending per year</p><p> </p><p>Some examples of community cohesion projects include:</p><ul><li>Bradford Cathedral‘s Faiths Trail, which offers opportunities to link visitors to worship spaces in the city, including the cathedral, a mosque, a Hindu temple and a gurdwara.</li><li>In Birmingham Cathedral a new Common Wealth table installation in the grounds has been booked for cross-faith community conversations.</li><li>Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas market attracts over 400,000 visitors annually, generating local employment and offering local craftspeople an opportunity to showcase their work.</li><li>St Edmundsbury Cathedral hosted a summer flower festival this year to celebrate 1,000 years of the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds, and has hosted an animatronic dinosaur, science and art activities during the school holidays, and film screenings and lectures.</li><li>Liverpool Cathedral held a charity abseil down its tower to support local initiatives with 800 people taking part. It has an annual sleepout to raise money for the Whitechapel Centre homeless project, hosts a community market and provides hospitality to the local community.</li><li>Gloucester Cathedral has recently employed a full-time member of staff as a Community Engagement Manager, reflecting the amount of outreach work the Cathedral does. It has run a regular breakfast club for the homeless twice a week since 2007. More recently, the cathedral has started a gardening group and a walking rugby group. The Cathedral also regularly exhibits the work of a formerly homeless photographer, to raise awareness of the level of homelessness in the city.</li><li>Leicester Cathedral has run a series of local community arts events in partnership with local schools.</li><li>Norwich Cathedral hosted ‘Dippy the Dinosaur’ this year, on loan from the Natural History Museum, and also regularly hosts art and music events for the county.</li></ul><p> </p><p>More details on the economic and social impact of England’s cathedrals are available in the Association of English Cathedrals Report: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.englishcathedrals.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F08%2FEconomic-Social-Impacts-of-Englands-Cathedrals-2019.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=RhjXu55btCQQQtdydo6Wuj5KLh2fyMDsXLvPGTeCchU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Economic Social Impacts of England’s Cathedrals</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 02/12/2022 16:38:33 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1541733

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
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 plan for long-term maintenance of its churches and cathedrals.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	86477
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2022 answer text <p>The Cathedral and Church Buildings team of the National Church Institutions (NCIs) are working closely with the cathedrals and major churches of the Church of England to evaluate the overall maintenance work required. The Church Commissioners are providing £11million in funding for 2023-25 to support a new “Buildings for Mission” programme to provide support, through dioceses, to local parishes with the challenges they face in maintaining their church buildings</p><p><br> The Church is grateful to the Government for its support for cathedrals and major churches during the pandemic when the Culture Recovery Fund made over £60.6m available to 582 parishes and cathedrals. The Church advocates for the continuation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, worth up to £42m a year, until a suitable alternative can be found. The NCIs are working closely with Government, heritage partners and philanthropic funders, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund in response to its recent strategic review.</p><p>The Church awaits the response of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to the recommendations made by the Government’s independent review led by Bernard Taylor into the sustainability of Church buildings, which was published in 2017: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fconsultations%2Fenglish-churches-and-cathedrals-sustainability-review&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=maaByfo%2Fqp%2F2%2F3X4dKQBfCAoajSbpYW9nZZYukP821I%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/english-churches-and-cathedrals-sustainability-review</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 02/12/2022 16:28:17 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1541734

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
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: Tree Planting
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 is taking steps to plant more trees on its land in rural areas.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	86478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2022 answer text <p>During 2021 the Church Commissioners planted approximately 2 million trees across their land holdings. In 2021 the Commissioners also purchased land in Wales with the intention of establishing a new woodland of c.85,000 new trees (subject to the grant of planting permissions). <br> <br>Across the land portfolio the Commissioners have conducted numerous woodland reviews assessing opportunities for new planting schemes, creating wildlife corridors. Via the implementation of environmental land management schemes farm tenants are planting more hedgerows and the Commissioners are encouraging the inclusion of in-hedge trees.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 01/12/2022 13:10:28 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1541735

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
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: Families and Marriage
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 help support (a) family relationships, (b) parenting and (c) marriage.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	86479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2022 answer text <p>The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Families and Households is considering all aspects of this subject and will publish its report in early 2023. The Church of England’s support for families, parenting and marriage comes in many forms. Parishes offer:</p><ul><li>early years groups and children’s clubs to support child development and provide parental support.</li><li>counselling and social support for those in need, such as work with foodbanks, credit unions and Citizens Advice to reduce the pressures of financial difficulty on relationships.</li><li>marriage guidance for couples wishing to marry, prior to the ceremony.</li><li>work with organisations such as Relate to offer relationship advice and support or counselling.</li><li>tackling loneliness in the young and old, by visiting people in care homes and hospitals, and by providing spaces for groups, clubs and societies to meet.</li></ul><p>Nationally the Church of England provides resources to clergy and couples considering marriage through the ‘Your Church Wedding’ website: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Flife-events%2Fyour-church-wedding&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=QXlmQ4lbIyUFW6AxBSPYSH6HIeiZU8JGbPoEyyhc41M%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding</a> This gives advice for couples at all stages of marriage preparation.</p><p>Marrying in the local church remains one of the most cost-effective ways of having a relationship recognised in law and costs around £550 (approved by Parliament). This fee can be reduced for pastoral reasons at the discretion of the local Incumbent.</p><p>The National Churches Trust report ‘House for Good’ has updated its estimates of the contribution of churches to their local community. The report estimates the national value of the Church’s work on counselling and mental health support at over £4.5million, work with youth groups and young people at an additional £1.8million, support with food and foodbanks at £36million and drug and alcohol support at £0.5million. The full update is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalchurchestrust.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FGADS1597%2520%25E2%2580%2593%2520NCT%2520House%2520of%2520Good%25202021%2520V7%2520SINGLE-PAGES.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C48e65cae22764956585608dad4764324%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638055902296224039%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ZGx%2B6i71KBrdbn5aNBx0uiYl4Iv9%2FFDgdmdOrRXUoFU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">House of Good 2021</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 02/12/2022 16:31:12 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1541990

registered interest
date	14/11/2022
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Clergy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, by what proportion the number of ordinands in the Church of England has changed since 2016.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	86653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2022 answer text <p>In 2016 there were 1,184 ordinands in total, including 476 ordinands starting training. In 2020 those figures had risen to 1,373 in total, including 591 starting training, the largest number in a generation.</p><p>The latest numbers, for 2021, show 1,276 in total, including 478 starting training, which is partly a result of the impact of Covid. There is an expectation that overall numbers will increase again.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 21/12/2022 16:33:26 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1541078

registered interest
date	09/11/2022
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: Land Use
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 environmentally=friendly farming methods in its agricultural land.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	83623
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2022 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners encourage existing farm tenants to adopt environmentally friendly farming practices across all their agricultural land. Throughout the year the Commissioners’ asset managers and agents have conducted meetings with their existing agricultural tenants to discuss various environmental opportunities, including hedgerow improvements, benefits of cover crops and other regenerative farming practices.</p><p>When re-letting farmland on the open market the Church Commissioners emphasise their net-zero ambitions and seek out tenants who adopt nature-friendly farming methods, via a vigorous tender process, farm letting particulars and updated farm business tenancies. The new tenancies include soil improvement clauses and requirements for landlord and tenant to work collaboratively on conducting carbon audits and environmental improvements such as hedgerow planting.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 01/12/2022 13:04:35 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon