Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs on 21st November 2022:
Jim Shannon MP (DUP): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to promote environmental, social and governance leadership in its investments.
Andrew Selous MP (Con): The Church Commissioners Responsible Investment Team regularly engages with the companies in which they invest on environmental and social issues, and good governance. The Church Commissioners’ Stewardship report 2021 contains examples of work on impact investment, respect for the planet and respect for people: https://www.frc.org.uk/getattachment/8e8fdb87-6c32-4bf3-b549-e8209db00976/The-Church-Commissioners-for-England_Stewardship-report-2020.pdf(opens in a new tab) The Commissioners are signatory members of the Financial Reporting Council, which has approved the report.
The Church Commissioners and other global investors are also acting to eliminate commodity-driven deforestation from their investment portfolios to drive progress towards a net zero, nature-positive economy. These investors make up the Finance Sector Deforestation Action (FSDA). Details can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/church-commissioners-and-other-investors-tackle-commodity-driven(opens in a new tab)
More information about the Church Commissioners’ work in responsible investment can be seen here: Responsible Investment | The Church of England
Ben Bradshaw MP (Lab): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many vacancies there are for clergy posts in England; and what proportion of those vacancies are in rural areas.
Andrew Selous MP: The National Church Institutions do not hold sufficient information about the number or proportion of vacancies in rural and urban parishes to be able to respond. The deployment of clergy to benefices and other ministry roles within a diocese is the responsibility of the diocesan bishop.
Ben Bradshaw MP (Lab): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many provincial episcopal visitors there were in the Church of England in each of the last 10 years.
Andrew Selous MP: The Church of England has three provincial episcopal visitors, the Bishops of Richborough, Ebbsfleet and Beverley. These posts have been held by the following individuals in the last ten years:
| Year | Richborough | Ebbsfleet | Beverley |
| 2012 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Baker | Rt Revd Martyn Jarrett (retired 01.10.12) |
| 2013 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Baker (translated 13.2.13) /Jonathan Goodall (consecrated 25.9.13) | Rt Revd Glyn Webster (consecrated 25.01.13) |
| 2014 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2015 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2016 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2017 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2018 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2019 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2020 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2021 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall (resigned role 08.09.21) | Rt Revd Glyn Webster |
| 2022 | Rt Revd Norman Banks | Vacancy until early 2023 (the role will transfer to the Bishop of Oswestry) | Rt Revd Glyn Webster (retired 06.01.22) Fr Stephen Race appointed (consecration 30.11.22) |
The former Bishop of Maidstone (now retired) is also recorded as having an informal role as a ‘Complementarian’ Bishop in 62 of the parishes under the oversight of a Diocesan or Suffragan bishop where he was “invited to be involved as issues arose”. It is expected that the See of Ebbsfleet will take up these duties when a new bishop is appointed.
Sir Robert Syms MP (Con): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the implications for its policies on the proper use of Church monies of the case in the ecclesiastical Parish of Longfleet, St Mary’s, Poole; what episcopal oversight was there of that case and when the Commissioners were informed of the details; and if the Commissioners will take steps to share lessons learned for best practice with other diocese.
Andrew Selous MP: The parochial church council is a charitable body subject to the oversight of the Charity Commission. I understand that the Charity Commission is aware of the case following a referral by the Diocese of Salisbury and the office of the Bishop of Salisbury. The National Church Institutions cannot provide guidance to trustees on particular cases, but the Legal Advisory Commission regularly provides updates for PCCs and other trustee bodies on their general duties and obligations.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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