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1628856

registered interest
date	18/05/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Church of England: Leicestershire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many Minster Communities are proposed in Leicestershire; and how many parishes are proposed in each.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	185806
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>Management of a diocese and the ordering of parishes is a matter for the diocesan bishop and their senior staff, not the National Church Institutions (NCIs). <br> <br>The NCIs are aware that in October 2021, 72% of members of the Leicester Diocesan Synod voted in favour of the Minster Community model. The Church Commissioners, as the appeal body for any formal parish reorganisation, are unable to comment further as it may prejudice future decisions of the Mission, Pastoral, and Church Property Committee should Leicester Diocese decide to bring forward formal parish reorganisation proposals.</p><p>Enquiries about the Minster Communities plan should be directed to the offices of the Bishop of Leicester, the Archdeacon of Leicester or the Archdeacon of Loughborough. Contact details can be found on the diocesan website here: <a href="https://www.leicester.anglican.org/whos-who" target="_blank">https://www.leicester.anglican.org/whos-who</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/06/2023 20:36:25 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1628857

registered interest
date	18/05/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Clergy: Leicestershire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many ordained stipendiary priests are proposed to serve each Minster Community in Leicestershire; how frequent the Commissioners expect the provision for Holy Communion in each church to be; and how many such priests have been identified as ready to (a) serve in Minster Communities and (b) provide Holy Communion, not by extension.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	185807
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>Management of a diocese and ordering of parishes is not a matter for the National Church Institutions (NCIs), but for the diocesan bishop and their senior staff in discussion with the diocesan mission and pastoral committees and liaison with parishes. The NCIs are aware that in October 2021, 72% of the Leicester Diocesan Synod members voted in favour of the Minster Community model. <br> <br> Enquiries about the Minster Communities plan should be directed to the offices of the Bishop of Leicester, the Archdeacon of Leicester or the Archdeacon of Loughborough. Contact details can be found on the diocesan website here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.leicester.anglican.org%2Fwhos-who&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7Cc49a42f8e5a44131c99c08db67e4b657%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638218004242075662%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=lVEoxKFFCSURzq0Xoran5CbcV8WEYMzuLneLzhcszuY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.leicester.anglican.org/whos-who</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/06/2023 20:38:24 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1628858

registered interest
date	18/05/2023
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, how many ordained priests are available to perform the Occasional Offices in Leicestershire parish churches.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	185808
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>From the records held by the National Church institutions and the diocese, at the present time the Diocese of Leicester has the following ordained clergy and lay ministers:</p><ul><li>134 clergy</li><li>43 curates</li><li>117 lay ministers (including Readers, Evangelists, Pastoral Assistants, etc.)</li><li>122 Permission to Officiate (often retired clergy)</li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/06/2023 20:39:54 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1628859

registered interest
date	18/05/2023
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, whether the Commissioners are taking steps to help ensure that ordained priests are not expected to officiate in parish churches of a different tradition in a way which (a) they and (b) the parishioners are not comfortable with.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	185809
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>Management of a diocese and the ordering of parishes is a matter for the diocesan bishop and their senior staff, not the National Church Institutions.</p><p>Clergy, retired clergy and lay ministers regularly offer cover across dioceses during vacancies, an incumbent’s illness, or for other pastoral reasons. The diocesan bishop and local archdeacon are responsible for overseeing this process.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/06/2023 20:41:09 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1627247

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Security
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 guidance has been published to assist with the security of churches.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	184815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>The Cathedral and Church Buildings team of the National Church Institutions has been in touch with all Diocesan Advisory Committees to remind them of its security guidance, which is also available on the Church of England website here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fresources%2Fchurchcare%2Fadvice-and-guidance-church-buildings%2Fsecurity-and-crime-prevention&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7Cc49a42f8e5a44131c99c08db67e4b657%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638218004242075662%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fqU9aW%2FLpNEhkuaEGGnb5FrrDpeZ7e%2FJvRghF5dEqO4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/security-and-crime-prevention</a><br> <br>The guidance includes details of safes that are compliant with current standards. Advice on the locking of churches during the day has not changed despite the recent spate of burglaries. Historic England and Ecclesiastical Insurance advice is that existing security alarms be extended to include the church safe, or the room in which the safe is housed.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/06/2023 20:48:39 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1627060

registered interest
date	11/05/2023
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, with reference to the Answer of 22 December 2022 to Question 102787 on the Energy Costs Grant, whether the Commissioners have now gathered feedback to examine (a) how much of the Grant dioceses have allocated, (b) by what mechanism dioceses have distributed that funding and (c) what proportion of the Grant was used to supplement the Ministry Hardship Fund.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	184564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>All dioceses took up the Energy Costs Grant, and none has returned unspent sums. The National Church Institutions intend to gather detailed feedback from dioceses in the Autumn on how dioceses distributed grants to their parishes and what proportion was used to supplement the Ministry Hardship Fund.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/06/2023 20:51:36 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1601385

registered interest
date	06/03/2023
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, what assessment the Church has made of freedom of religion and belief (a) globally and (b) in China and Hong Kong.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	158916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2023 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given (<a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-01-23/129832" target="_blank">129832</a>) on 31st January 2023.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 23/03/2023 10:38:55 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1601246

registered interest
date	02/03/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of local authority grant funding available to parish churches to upgrade their facilities.
tabling member constituency	Broadland
tabling member printed	Jerome Mayhew
uin	903965
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2023 answer text <p>It is the view of the National Church Institutions that Local Authority and Parish Council grant funding is not being made available to parish churches on a consistent basis, due to a lack of clarity in interpretation of existing law, specifically the Local Government Acts 1894, 1972 and the Localism Act 2011.</p><p>The Church Buildings Council, following legal advice, has concluded that the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 and the Local Government Act 1972 allow for all Local Authorities, including Parish Councils, to contribute to the upkeep of church property under certain circumstances – mainly related to the public benefit achieved. A briefing note is available here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofengland.org%2Fresources%2Fchurchcare%2Fadvice-and-guidance-church-buildings%2Flocal-authority-investment&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fmxbF9gbaZMAeUeQkmISm4Ybe8iYwCaobhGdWJ34X%2Bw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Local Authority Investment | The Church of England</a></p><p>In Sir Bernard Taylor’s 2017 Review of the Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals, a recommendation was made that the law be clarified. See pp.31-32: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fthe-taylor-review-sustainability-of-english-churches-and-cathedrals&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=eGadhnaV8CpIeD5OTR9B3SYoaSS8hUz5rn8Z82pX%2B3s%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>The Bishop of Bristol is bringing amendments to the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill in the House of Lords to clarify the law. She has the support of heritage bodies and the National Association of Local Councils. The Bishop’s amendments would enable parish churches to be treated the same as other faith and community buildings, which can apply for small grants to improve public access, upgrade facilities such as kitchens or toilets, or enable repairs of guttering, stonework or windows.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/03/2023 15:44:18 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4739 label Biography information for Jerome Mayhew

1599932

registered interest
date	28/02/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: 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, with reference to the Office for National Statistics classifications for land use in rural and urban areas, how many and what proportion of parishes are classified as rural; and how many and what proportion of newly ordained stipendiary curates have commenced curacy training in a parish classified as rural in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Exeter
tabling member printed	Mr Ben Bradshaw
uin	155005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2023 answer text <p>The most up to date Office of National Statistics dataset relating to urban and rural communities is expected to be published in the summer. Until this has been mapped and applied to the data held by the National Church Institutions (NCIs), it is not possible to provide the information requested.</p><p>The NCIs do not request statistical information about stipendiary curates as part of their routine annual survey of parishes. The most recent data available on the number of stipendiary curates can be found in the one off special project published in 2015 called 'Released for mission, growing the rural church', which is available here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/released-mission-growing-rural-church" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/released-mission-growing-rural-church</a></p><p>For more than a decade the Church Commissioners have financially supported dioceses to increase the number of ordinands they can afford to send for training. Funding has recently been allocated to dioceses through the Ministry Division of the NCIs to ensure ordinands can be supported in posts of first responsibility. This month the Church Commissioners announced a further grant (through the Strategic Mission &amp; Ministry Investment Board of the Archbishops’ Council) of £5.6 million to continue to support curates as they move into their next posts. This will benefit both urban and rural parishes. More information can be found here: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/clergy-posts-funded-through-ps56-million-national-church-england" target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/clergy-posts-funded-through-ps56-million-national-church-england</a></p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/03/2023 15:47:38 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	230 label Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw

1599267

registered interest
date	27/02/2023
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Cemeteries: Vandalism
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 representatives of the arch-diocese of Jerusalem on damage to graves at the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion in January 2023; and what steps he plans to take to (a) help promote religious acceptance and harmony in the UK and (b) prevent vandalism at cemeteries.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	153753
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2023 answer text <p>The escalating violence in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories is of deep concern. Representatives of the Church continue to work closely with the Department of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the British Consulate in Jerusalem, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem and other faith leaders in the city. The Archbishop of Canterbury remains in close contact with the Archbishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Hosam Naoum, and the Bishop of Southwark regularly visits the region with Roman Catholic bishops as part of the Holy Land Coordination Group.</p><p>Following the attacks, the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement that read, “The desecration of Christian graves in Jerusalem is a blasphemous act. I join the Chief Rabbi [Ephraim Mirvis] and religious leaders in Jerusalem in condemning it and hope those responsible will be brought swiftly to justice. As we continue to pray for peace in the Holy Land, I stand with Archbishop Hosam Naoum and other Jerusalem church leaders in calling for respect, protection, equality and justice for its Christian community – who are the Living Stones of the church.”</p><p>Interviewed immediately after the attacks Archbishop Naoum spoke about the increasing use of exclusion, segregation, and intolerance alongside increasing attacks on the holy sites.</p><p>The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have urged all sides to &quot;actively reaffirm their commitment to a promotion of an environment of safety, mutual respect and religious tolerance in the Holy Land.&quot; They also called for assurances to be given to the Christian community in Jerusalem following the increasing levels of extremist threats against them. At a recent meeting with the Jordanian Parliament Committee of External Affairs in Amman, the Heads of Churches raised concerns about the future of a continued presence of Christians, specifically Arabic Christians, in Jordan, Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.</p><p>The statement by the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Hosam Naoum, can be read here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fj-diocese.org%2Fwordpress%2F2023%2F01%2F04%2Fstatement-on-the-recent-vandalism-and-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion-4-january-2023%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=WdBwGrAWNln1ikEfZECTdl%2FmbmmsOhYxtXygljd%2BrSk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/2023/01/04/statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-and-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion-4-january-2023/</a><br> <br> The statements of the Patriarchs and Head of all Churches in Jerusalem can be read here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fj-diocese.org%2Fwordpress%2F2023%2F01%2F05%2Fhead-of-churches-statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=r1cKj%2Bx0ZEGj9gyZ34sc0dxE6wfl4K%2B3u2tqylO4QLw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/2023/01/05/head-of-churches-statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion/</a></p><p>The statement of the World Council of Churches can be read here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oikoumene.org%2Fresources%2Fdocuments%2Fwcc-statement-on-desecration-of-historic-protestant-cemetery-in-jerusalem&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard.chapman%40churchofengland.org%7C7eee7cd2aa2b481e260d08db1f4c6e8e%7C95e2463b3ab047b49ac1587c77ee84f0%7C0%7C0%7C638138185383336194%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=htYbQCCPE3poMNX4mtrZwE%2FMiUxkG%2Bv362R5aefrDKw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/wcc-statement-on-desecration-of-historic-protestant-cemetery-in-jerusalem</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 10/03/2023 15:51:16 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon