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1334123

registered interest
date	14/06/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	St Margaret's Church Westminster: Westminster Abbey
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, when the appointment of an Assessor to enquire into complaints made against the Royal Peculiar of Westminster Abbey by the congregation of St Margaret's Church will be made.
tabling member constituency	Gravesham
tabling member printed	Adam Holloway
uin	15185
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2021 answer text <p>As a Royal Peculiar, Westminster Abbey does not come under the responsibilities of the Church Commissioners. Accordingly, the most appropriate person to deal with this enquiry is Mr Richard Tilbrook, the Prime Minister's Appointments Secretary at the Cabinet Office.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 17/06/2021 11:35:19 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1522 label Biography information for Adam Holloway

1331175

registered interest
date	09/06/2021
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
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 regenerative agriculture, plant more trees and be good stewards of hedgerows on its land.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	13059
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2021 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners work with their tenants to support the good stewardship of their land and are currently undertaking a natural capital assessment of its estate. The majority of our agricultural land is tenanted, and the Commissioners new farm business tenancies strongly encourage good environmental practice such as ensuring watercourses are kept clear, hedgerows are well maintained, and topsoil is preserved.</p><p>The Church Commissioners direct landholdings currently total 184,700 acres as of the end of December 2020. 92,000 acres were in our Rural Portfolio, including land allocated for strategic development and 92,700 acres in our Timberland Portfolio. 120,500 acres (65%) of the Commissioners total land holding are in the UK, with the rest held across the globe. More detail can be found in the latest annual report, which is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F2021-06%2FChurch%2520Commissioners%2520Annual%2520Report%25202020.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Ca1b74c9392014f7f0b7f08d93183a0cd%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637595264120014816%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=s37MxF9%2BYskgy%2Fay216jWHMXCRuO5c8OFd5EOpUlxbo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Church%20Commissioners%20Annual%20Report%202020.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 17/06/2021 11:36:10 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1328072

registered interest
date	26/05/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Death
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 steps the Church has taken to support people who have lost loved ones during the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	7823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2021 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, the Church of England has operated an online book of remembrance to help families commemorate loved ones lost during this period. In addition, the Church has continued to operate its grief counselling services at a parish level to support those in the community in need. Across the country, parishes have also broadcast funerals virtually, allowing family and friends of the deceased across the globe to participate in the ceremony. <br> <br> Discussions have now started at St Paul's Cathedral about a permanent memorial. Conversations are at the early stages of exploring a new memorial within the cathedral to create a space to remember all those we have lost to this virus. Other local memorials or commemorations are also being considered where appropriate.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 17/06/2021 11:37:06 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1316328

registered interest
date	19/05/2021
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: 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, if he will make a statement on what steps the Church of England is taking to support the diocese of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield; and what plans the Church of England has to support dioceses with large rural parishes.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	3820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>Diocesan resourcing of mission and ministry is supported by congregational giving, historic investments and other income. Additional support is provided from national funds generated by the investments of the Church Commissioners and distributed by the Archbishops' Council.</p><p> </p><p>The Diocese of Hereford has received:</p><ul><li>£1.172m of Lowest Income Communities Funding over 2020-22 to support mission and ministry in areas of low economic activity.</li><li>£113k of Strategic Ministry Funding to help fund curates costs.</li><li>£120k in 2020 to support work on congregational giving.</li><li>£525k of Strategic Development Funding was awarded in 2017 towards a 5-year project supporting missioners in six parishes in the Diocese, including 3 of its market towns, focusing on reaching children and young people. More details can be found <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hereford.anglican.org%2Fintergenerational-mission%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717289664%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=KuCQu5fp2Ix2%2Fflo7vsdMHd9eG1CExIoe4jzhm9l2CQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Diocese of Lichfield has received:</p><ul><li>£6.23m of Lowest Income Communities Funding over 2020-22 to support mission and ministry in areas of low economic activity.</li><li>£850k to support diocesan finances in the light of the impact Covid-19.</li><li>£1.690m of Strategic Development Funding in 2019 for a 6-year project to support ministry and mission in Telford, focusing strongly on social engagement and reaching children and young people. More details can be found <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lichfield.anglican.org%2Fnews%2Ftelford-new-church-mission.php&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717289664%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=%2FokkcFuiyKiOHwduG34VL63bWaaRonhbrnhLxumnndE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Through the Government's Culture Recovery Fund, parishes and cathedrals of the two dioceses have also received:</p><ul><li>Lichfield: 14 grants to parishes, totalling £379,141, and two grants to Lichfield Cathedral, totalling £152,900</li><li>Hereford: 12 grants to parishes, totalling £304,678, and two grants to Hereford Cathedral, totalling £284,400</li></ul><p> </p><p>Rural parishes make up around 60% of the Church of England's footprint with approximately 10,000 buildings. These parishes serve about 17% of the population, with 91% of rural churches being listed. These rural churches are an important community asset as they are often the only public building left in their community and serve multiple purposes in addition to being a place of worship.</p><p> </p><p>The Association of Festival Churches (<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fafchurches.org%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717299634%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=mv07sTg3MrEuZ7n9ET439SSMnp8KrfA7p%2FdiSBKfVHQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">The Association of Festival Churches</a>) was recently formed with the express purpose of supporting mostly rural churches to expand community use of their church buildings, working with pre-existing specialist resources such as the <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Farthurrankcentre.org.uk%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csimon.stanley%40churchofengland.org%7Cb6c3e58be39d4f3c30d608d91ec18157%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C637574638717299634%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=VayZla7j2z3WFbS9F18o3ppaoGh86c0fl32wUYS1YFg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Arthur Rank Centre</a> to provide targeted guidance and advice for rural churches.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 24/05/2021 15:05:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

1315755

registered interest
date	18/05/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	St Paul's Cathedral
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 ensure the future of St. Paul's Cathedral.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	2912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners and other National Church Institutions have been in regular contact with the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral throughout the pandemic as they have with all the Anglican cathedrals in England. The Church Commissioners made additional financial support available to all cathedrals and dioceses throughout the pandemic over and above the financial support they regularly make available. <br> <br> The Third Church Estates Commissioner, Dr Eve Poole, has also been in touch with both the Dean and the Chair of Council of St Pauls in the wake of recent headlines and conversations about the additional specific needs of St Paul's are ongoing. Currently, the Church Commissioners are aware that St Paul's Cathedral has received the following financial support during the pandemic from the Church Commissioners and the Government. This does not account for any support received through the Government's furlough scheme:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Church Commissioners Financial Support to St Paul's Cathedral</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dean and 2 Residentiary Canons - Standard Grant</p></td><td><p>£158,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cathedral Sustainability Grant - staff and administration</p></td><td><p>£172,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Heritage Trade and Skills Grant</p></td><td><p>£96,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Music Grant - Lay Clerks</p></td><td><p>£131,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Government Financial Support to St Paul's Cathedral</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Culture Recovery Fund round 1 &amp; 2</p></td><td><p>£3 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Culture Recovery Fund Capital Works Grant</p></td><td><p>£320,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The pandemic has impacted the finances of all cathedrals and churches right across the country to varying degrees, and this is not an experience unique to the Church of England. However, the Church of England is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of 45% of all grade one listed buildings in the country and the lack of in-person worshipers, educational visits and events have impacted not just the charitable giving and income of all cathedrals and churches but also the social and community and education work the Church supports and funds. Prior to the pandemic, the '<a href="https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/" target="_blank">House for Good</a>' report by the National Churches Trust showed clearly the positive social and economic impact a church and cathedral have on their local community, with over 70% of parishes operating over 35,000 social action projects across the country.</p><p><br> The Church of England is grateful to the Government for the continued support of DCMS via the Culture Recovery Fund. The Church looks forward to the opportunity to engage with the Government to look at the future sustainability of its buildings following the publication of the Government's <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-taylor-review-sustainability-of-english-churches-and-cathedrals" target="_blank">Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals</a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-taylor-review-sustainability-of-english-churches-and-cathedrals" target="_blank">2017</a>.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 20/05/2021 15:51:07 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1306873

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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: Farms
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 average length of term agreed on farm business tenancies let by the Church Commissioners, other than in cases where a tenancy is replacing a previous tenancy let under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, was in each of the last five years to 2020.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	178589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>In the last five years, ending with 2020, the average length of the term granted for new farm business tenancies over 50 acres across the Commissioners’ rural portfolio was:</p><table><tbody><tr><td>2016</td><td><p>4.1</p></td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>4.9</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>3.6</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>3.5</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>2.3</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Such averages do not reflect the size of the holdings which were let during this period or the circumstances and rationale for each new farm letting.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 22/04/2021 15:55:16 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 95862 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

1306924

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Hunting
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 the potential merits of suspending licences for trail hunting on land owned by the Church; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	178571
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>In 2020 the Church Commissioners reviewed their policy on trail hunting and suspended any directly issued licences which previously permitted trail hunting. Where trail hunting continues to take place across Commissioners’ tenanted land (and which is beyond our direct control owing to the tenant’s security of tenure) we are seeking to assist farm tenants with the regularisation of any informal trail hunting arrangements.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 22/04/2021 15:52:05 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 95861 answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

1305478

registered interest
date	24/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church of England: Farms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, other than in cases where a tenancy is replacing a previous tenancy let under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 how many tenancies have been let (a) for an initial fixed term of five years or less (b) for an initial fixed term of five years or more in each of the last five years, ending with 2020.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	174830
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners’ and their managing agents review the term of each new farm letting and all tenancy renewals on a case by case basis. In the period 2016 to 2020, the number of holdings let by the Church Commissioners on a Farm Business Tenancy (on an area of more than 50 acres) for a term under five years is 64, with a further 30 new tenancies offered for a term of 5 years or more. Each holding is assessed at the time of letting, and other factors considered when determining term length.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/04/2021 07:46:04 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1305479

registered interest
date	24/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church of England: Farms
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 average level of compensation paid for tenants’ improvements following the expiry of farm tenancies let by the Church Commissioners was in each of the last five years, ending with 2020.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	174831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>Compensation payments made by the Commissioners to their tenants are of a commercially sensitive nature. <br> The Church Commissioners discuss land and environmental improvement works with their agricultural tenants on an ongoing basis with a view to supporting enhancements to holdings. End of tenancy payments are made as appropriate to the scale and value of such improvement made.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/04/2021 07:46:14 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1302502

registered interest
date	15/03/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church of England: Farms
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 lengthen the terms of farm business tenancies on its agricultural estate to encourage (a) farm business resilience and (b) improved environmental management.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	168926
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2021 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners and their agents always consider the potential length of a farm business tenancy (FBT) on a case-by-case basis, with potential long-term tenancies offered when suitable.</p><p>To encourage farm business resilience, the Commissioners pay compensation for improvements where appropriate and encourage good husbandry of the land. Within FBT clauses, obligations on tenants to keep farm books and records and at all times to maintain and establish the maximum entitlements with respect to the holding further provide for sustainable businesses.</p><p>To encourage improved environmental management, we prevent the removal of topsoil and stipulate that watercourses must be kept clear from obstruction. In addition, for longer-term tenancies, soil analysis and testing is carried out at the beginning and end of the tenancy to ensure soil health is maintained to a satisfactory standard. We welcome approaches from tenants to discuss environmental schemes and, at such time, consider these proposals within the context of the wider holding.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 17/03/2021 16:31:26 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon