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1300682

registered interest
date	09/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Remote 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 has taken to provide support for the teaching of children at home during the covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	165539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2021 answer text <p>Church of England schools remained open during the pandemic for key worker children and also, where possible, for those who are unable to study at home. All teachers and staff in Church schools who are providing teaching and care at this difficult time deserve our deep gratitude.</p><p>Church schools moved rapidly to provide online lessons and resources, looking after children of key workers and overseeing the distribution of free school meal vouchers and technology to make online education possible. The Church is also delighted to have partnered with the Oak National Academy to provide assemblies and weekly collective worship for parents who are home-schooling.</p><p>Many parishes and cathedrals, such as Wakefield Cathedral, donated laptops and equipment to vulnerable children, which enabled these young people to continue to engage in education from home during the pandemic.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 11/03/2021 16:42:29 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1299470

registered interest
date	04/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Families: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support family life during the covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Derbyshire Dales
tabling member printed	Miss Sarah Dines
uin	912871
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2021 answer text <p>The clergy have continued to support families and vulnerable people throughout the pandemic, but particular attention has been given to the bereaved in this very difficult year. Recent research by the Church of England has shown six out of ten people have lost someone they know in the last year and that those aged 18 to 30 have been particularly badly affected. In addition to its support for bereaved families in communities across the country, the Church of England has continued its work preparing couples for marriage. The Church will be supporting National Marriage Week and there are lots of resources available to the parishes.</p><p>The Church is pleased to be working with the Government to implement changes to marriage registration, the new regulations will come into force from the 4th of May allowing any parent of a bride and groom to have their names entered into the official register of marriages. This reform among several others in the new regulations will specifically enable mothers to be recognised equally to fathers on the certificate. I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Dame Caroline Spelman, Tim Loughton MP and the Lord Bishop of St Albans who along with the campaigners worked so hard to change the law.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/03/2021 16:00:20 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4816 label Biography information for Miss Sarah Dines

1299471

registered interest
date	04/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Families: Coronavirus
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 of England is taking to support family life during the covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Penistone and Stocksbridge
tabling member printed	Miriam Cates
uin	912877
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2021 answer text <p>The Church of England is waiting to hear from the Government when its parent and toddler groups will be able to recommence in person, it is hoped that this will be from the 12th of April.</p><p>Many churches have tried new ways to continue their support for young families and children throughout the pandemic. At different stages of the pandemic, families needed different levels of support. The Church has seen some successful examples: using social media and Facebook live to hold parent support groups, using Zoom to hold a community storytime and craft group, and hosting socially distanced family picnics.</p><p>For older children and parents, the Church launched 'Faith at Home' to focus on inspirational experiences, using age-appropriate resources to grow together in faith. It has been an effective way to use schools, church leaders and chaplains to support young peoples development.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/03/2021 15:34:36 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4865 label Biography information for Miriam Cates

1299175

registered interest
date	03/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Services: Coronavirus
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 he has made of whether the online broadcasting of services during the covid-19 outbreak has increased the number of people participating in worship.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	162605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2021 answer text <p>The Church of England has seen a significant increase in public engagement with its online resources over the pandemic. <br> The National Church Institutions have produced a weekly online Sunday Service in video form since Mothering Sunday 2020, as well as the Daily Hope telephone line, podcasts and apps. The Sunday services have had more than 3.7 million views on Facebook and YouTube. A further 20,000 local online services and events have been listed on <a href="http://www.AChurchNearYou.com" target="_blank">www.AChurchNearYou.com</a> over the last year.</p><p>2020 saw an increase of almost 50% in downloads of Church of England apps for prayer and worship, with the apps used around 8 million times during this period. The National Institutions have continued to create resources for the major festivals, accessible on its website and social media. The current campaign #LiveLent is designed to take people on a journey of preparation ahead of Easter Day. This follows on from the #ComfortAndJoy resources, which reached millions during Advent and Christmas.</p><p> </p><p>Most cathedrals and a majority of parishes offer a variety of online services and events: weekly services, morning and evening prayer, children and youth projects and social activities. These have helped grow worshipping communities nationally and internationally. Recent evidence has also shown that attendance at traditional Book of Common Prayer services has grown dramatically. More available here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/stories-and-features/book-common-prayer-services-see-huge-numbers-tuning-seeking" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/stories-and-features/book-common-prayer-services-see-huge-numbers-tuning-seeking</a> Digital services have also improved accessibility for those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>Digital services are likely to continue for the time being and these will be different in each parish as clergy respond to local needs and circumstances. Training has been provided throughout the pandemic to thousands of clergy and laypeople to improve skills and familiarise themselves with the variety of platforms available.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/03/2021 17:08:55 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1288074

registered interest
date	22/02/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Bishops: Offences against Children
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 the composition of the (a) Gibbs and (b) Whitsey reviews are; and if he will place non-redacted copies of the reports in the Library.
tabling member constituency	Bermondsey and Old Southwark
tabling member printed	Neil Coyle
uin	156411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>The review by Dame Moria Gibb in 2017 into Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Gloucester, and the Whitsey review undertaken by His Hon David Pearl in 2019 into Hubert Whitsey, the former Bishop of Chester, are both available in full on the Church of England’s website.</p><p>The Gibb review, ‘An Abuse of Faith’, is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F2017-11%2Freport-of-the-peter-ball-review-210617.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cc16a45430c5d4f2acd9708d8d8b24b2c%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C1%7C637497607562090710%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=59HvL5Rl4crfii%2FP1%2FIhvxIG7RnJOjOV3%2BAL5bcjhwk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/report-of-the-peter-ball-review-210617.pdf</a></p><p>The Whitsey review is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fsafeguarding%2Foverview%2Fnews-and-views%2Findependent-lessons-learnt-review-bishop-whitsey-case&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cc16a45430c5d4f2acd9708d8d8b24b2c%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C1%7C637497607562100705%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=lBvsc93FSUSfEsm0DGgAVWkqJWypJuWSThx81ys3zW4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/overview/news-and-views/independent-lessons-learnt-review-bishop-whitsey-case</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 24/02/2021 13:19:14 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4368 label Biography information for Neil Coyle

1284348

registered interest
date	05/02/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Fees and Charges
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 Commissioners plan to take to enforce the Statutory Fees Table fixed church fees by law, in response to reports of a number of churches inflating costs on their websites which may deter people from marrying in their local church.
tabling member constituency	Lichfield
tabling member printed	Michael Fabricant
uin	149723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2021 answer text <p>The Church of England wishes to welcome all couples eligible to be married in its churches. The Church provides <a href="https://www.yourchurchwedding.org/" target="_blank">yourchurchwedding.org</a> as a resource to couples seeking information about all aspects of a church wedding, and this has proven to be a popular resource which is now used by over a million couples a year.</p><p>The General Synod and Parliament approve the fees charged by the parishes of the Church of England for these and other services via the Parochial Fees Order. Details of the current fees set for 2021 can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/Parochial%20Fees%20A4_21.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/Parochial%20Fees%20A4_21.pdf</a></p><p>The cost of getting married in a church remains very modest when compared to other locations. Weddings are bespoke services, and all churches have a basic charge that covers the ceremony, including the calling of banns, the banns certificate, marriage certificate, and administration cost. Should a couple wish to opt for bells, choir, organist and flowers, etc. they are arranged by the parish for an additional fee to cover people's time and additional administration costs. An incumbent priest also has the discretion to waive some of the fees for pastoral reasons.</p><p>The National Church Life Events team has worked with Archdeacons across the country to encourage all parishes to distinguish between the statutory fee and additional charges clearer. The local Archdeacon would be best placed to discuss any individual case.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/02/2021 16:49:42 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	280 label Biography information for Michael Fabricant

1282846

registered interest
date	02/02/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church Commissioners: Carbon Emissions
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 Commissioners are taking to make sure their investments support a net zero carbon economy.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	147847
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2021 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners have committed to reaching a net-zero portfolio in 2050 and the Church of England's National Investing Bodies joined the UN Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance in 2020. More detail about the alliance can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/church-england-national-investing-bodies-join-un-convened-net" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/church-england-national-investing-bodies-join-un-convened-net</a></p><p>The Church Commissioners have instituted further climate-related investment restrictions to capture companies that have significant greenhouse gas emissions but are not taking seriously their responsibilities to assist with the transition to a net-zero emissions economy. We are also setting our first interim emissions reduction target as members of the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, working with our public equities managers to achieve it.</p><p>The Church Commissioners are committed to the decarbonisation of the real economy, through engagement with policymakers and companies. The vision is for a net-zero carbon emissions global economy by 2050.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/02/2021 15:32:37 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 80601 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1282847

registered interest
date	02/02/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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 progress the church is making in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions across all its activities.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	147848
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2021 answer text <p>The National Church Institutions are currently assessing the carbon footprint of all church buildings through an Energy Footprint Tool. This enables parishes to input data from energy bills to create an energy rating. The tool suggests a plan for reducing the footprint of each building</p><p><br> You can read more about the project here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/policy-and-thinking/our-views/environment-and-climate-change/about-our-environment/energy-footprint-tool" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/about/policy-and-thinking/our-views/environment-and-climate-change/about-our-environment/energy-footprint-tool</a><br> <br> Over 5,000 church buildings have currently received feedback from the Energy Footprint Tool, and we hope many more will engage in the project this year when the scheme reopens. More information about the project one year on can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/one-year-church-moves-forward-carbon-reduction-target" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/one-year-church-moves-forward-carbon-reduction-target<br></a><br>Across the Church Commissioners Agricultural property portfolio, the Commissioners are encouraging our tenants to farm sustainably and join environmental stewardship schemes to plant trees and hedgerows wherever possible. In addition, we are undertaking a natural capital assessment, which will provide a baseline and trajectory of progress towards achieving lower carbon outputs.<a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/one-year-church-moves-forward-carbon-reduction-target" target="_blank"><br></a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/02/2021 15:30:30 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 80602 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1282309

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
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 families during covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	146880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2021 answer text <p>The three lockdown periods of the last 12 months have seen considerable innovations by clergy and youth workers across the Church.</p><p>The Education Office of Church House Westminster has partnered with the Government's online Oak Academy to provide educational resources and materials for parents to use in home-schooling. Clergy have also been developing new resources, including virtual prayer services, school assemblies, study groups, fellowship meetings and craft workshops. That is in addition to online church services, bereavement counselling, marriage preparation and marriage support services.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/02/2021 15:10:47 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 80605 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1282310

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
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 types of support the church has provided to people in need during the covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	146881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2021 answer text <p>We owe a great debt of gratitude to the many clergy and volunteers across the country who throughout the pandemic have kept running the approximately 36,000 community projects run or supported by local parish networks. These projects provide a range of services to the community, including food banks, debt advice services and other crisis facilities to ensure that those in greatest need still have access to support. Clergy have also supported vulnerable families, the bereaved and homeless throughout this time to find the help they need.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 12/02/2021 15:09:22 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 80606 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon