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1584309

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Festivals and Special Occasions
	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 parish churches in holding events for (a) families and (b) other individuals.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	140147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>A vibrant children’s and youth ministry is often a key component of church growth and creates intergenerational support for new parents and caregivers from experienced parents, grandparents and youth workers. Most Church of England parishes provide activities to engage with families and young people. Examples include breakfast, lunch and holiday clubs, youth clubs, messy church and events in partnership with local authorities, other churches and faith communities. Most dioceses have specialist children, youth or families advisers. More information and resources can be found on the Church of England website here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fabout%2Fchildren-and-young-people%2Four-work-children-and-young-people&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C38c365b3cc9946db7f6b08db0df14761%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638119102153110797%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=N%2BmbjAc6UsTc0C5j5O74A2L8X%2BRsc7JYcLR7e3ycvz4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Our work with children and young people | The Church of England</a></p><p>The Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households will soon be publishing a report looking at the role of the family in today’s society. Details of the Commission are here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fabout%2Farchbishops-commissions%2Ffamilies-and-households-commission&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C38c365b3cc9946db7f6b08db0df14761%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638119102153110797%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=kEHHjqOzGZDpJYym6PLIrXFP3ExNcc8xSZXK0QFvzP8%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Families and Households Commission | The Church of England</a> .</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 14/02/2023 17:48:31 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1579490

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Rural Areas
	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 relevant funding bodies on funding for smaller churches, including those in rural villages.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	129780
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>Officials from the National Church Institutions are seeking a meeting with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to discuss the 2017 independent Taylor report on the sustainability of Church Buildings. Despite being commissioned by the Government, the Government has yet to respond.</p><p>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>National grant funding is no longer ring-fenced for religious buildings despite the largest number of listed buildings in the country being from that classification. While grant funding is also available from national and local charities, this can only go so far. The Church of England is grateful to the great many congregations and local philanthropists who continue, despite current financial difficulties, to support the work of the Church.</p><p>Recent reports from the National Churches Trust have shown that every £1 invested in a church building returns £16 to the community in other services and facilities. If the Church can spend less time on repairing buildings, an even greater focus could be given to supporting the communities it serves. The evidence for this can be found in the 2021 House of Good report, available at: <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%7C552d0047f19347a2cec208daffc427fe%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638103516281887456%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=0ILjNDfV%2FcwAc%2FlvI5qVt001QAPNL1wA9aDaMGcdfHM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">House of Good 2021</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 16:37:57 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1579825

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Religious Freedom
	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 promote freedom of religion and belief in (a) Hong Kong and (b) globally.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	129832
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>Freedom of Religion and Belief was discussed at the 2022 Lambeth Conference of global Anglican bishops, where many first-hand accounts of the context in different countries were shared. <br> <br> Bishops and officials of the National Church Institutions are working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative, to equip civil servants, Government ministers, bishops and churches to respond effectively as possible to violations of freedom of religion, and in follow up to the Bishop of Truro’s report.</p><p>Freedom of religion was one of the founding principles of Hong Kong, which has led to a high diversity of faith communities and of those with no faith. The Church of England remains concerned about the treatment of these communities and is monitoring the situation closely.</p><p>The Church remains involved in providing welcome and support to those arriving here from Hong Kong under the British National Overseas passport scheme. One local example from Leeds diocese can be seen here: <a href="https://www.leeds.anglican.org/news/hong-kong-arrivals-welcomed-and-baptised-leeds-church" target="_blank">https://www.leeds.anglican.org/news/hong-kong-arrivals-welcomed-and-baptised-leeds-church</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 16:35:55 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1567949

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2023
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will hold discussions with senior church leaders on encouraging church leaders to hold celebrations to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	126648
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2023 answer text <p>Churches across the country will be organising events to celebrate the coronation. Many will mark the occasion by ringing a special peal of bells and encouraging new ringers to help. The Central Council of Bell Ringers is able to provide advice and support to towers of ringers who want to join in and ‘Ring for the King’: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fringfortheking.org%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7Ca7cd01072724498924b108db03ab02b2%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638107805241084184%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=OXn4xlCDvlfCXDidjhW57RIOiIWVIMQ1roGMrvNAapk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Ring for the King – Ringing for the King’s Coronation</a></p><p>The Royal School of Church Music are also encouraging choirs to join their ‘Sing for the King’ project. More information is available for directors of music, organists and clergy from the RSCM here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rscm.org.uk%2Fsing-for-the-king%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7Ca7cd01072724498924b108db03ab02b2%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638107805241084184%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2FJYRuK6VncGKRVezI00FKtdRNcSQybdOjtbN6%2Bnj7Is%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Sing for the King! | RSCM</a></p><p>Buckingham Palace has announced a series of events and festivities over several days, in which churches and community groups will take part. Many parishes are likely to be hosting a service of thanksgiving, alongside participating in the ‘Big Help Out’, and other local celebrations. Guidance and resources will be sent to all dioceses and parishes in the coming weeks.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 31/01/2023 17:48:15 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

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