On 14th July 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Church of England: Finance
Julian Knight MP (Ind, Solihull): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to ensure transparency and accountability in its financial operations.
Andrew Selous MP (Con, South West Bedfordshire): The Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners are accountable to the General Synod where their annual reports and spending plans are debated and reviewed. Additionally the Church Commissioners lay their annual report before Parliament for consideration, copies of which are available in the Library and on the Church of England Website. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2022.pdf(opens in a new tab) As Second Church Estates Commissioner, I answer to the House of Commons for matters that include the operational and financial activities of the National Church Institutions.
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Julian Knight: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to (a) preserve and (b) restore (i) historic church buildings and (ii) heritage sites.
Andrew Selous: In 2020 the Church of England assessed the volume of work needed in its churches and cathedrals for preservation, repair and maintenance. The pandemic caused a considerable delay in the ability of parish churches and cathedrals to undertake repairs, which has caused a backlog of work. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the National Church Institutions assists parishes, dioceses and cathedrals in assessing the nature and priorities of the work required and supports them with guidance and advice.
The work of preservation, repair and maintenance is predominantly undertaken at a local level by thousands of unpaid volunteers, with financial help and support from donors and local grant-making charities.
By means of an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Government has recently agreed to clarify the law on churches being able to access Local Authority grants. This is very welcome and comes in response to many years of advocacy by church, heritage and Local Authority groups. The removal of ambiguity means that Local Authorities and parish councils in England will be able to issue grants to churches that will enable seed funding to repair, restore and upgrade facilities, which will enable churches to continue to serve their local communities as worship spaces, community hubs, and through social action projects.
Church of England (Technology)
Julian Knight: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to use (a) digital platforms and (b) other technologies to connect with wider audiences.
Andrew Selous: The Church of England, through the work of its central Communications team, has a presence on the majority of social media channels and is producing content for a variety of different audiences and age groups. It has developed a smart speaker app which is useable with ‘Alexa’, provides liturgical resources via the Daily Prayer App, and recorded services to enable people who may not be able to attend a church in person to still participate in worship.
In the month of May 2023, the most recent for which material is available, Church of England content received 8.6 million impressions and the audience using the materials grew by an additional 4,000 unique users. Nearly three-quarters of a million people engaged with materials developed for the Coronation and the Church of England received 40,000 enquiries from the public via its various social/digital media platforms.
Religious Freedom
Julian Knight: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to help (a) tackle religious persecution and (b) protect religious freedom.
Andrew Selous: Last month the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, welcomed the UN Security Council’s adoption of a joint UK / UAE Government resolution highlighting threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief. The steps taken by the UK Government followed a review authored by the Bishop at the invitation of the then Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, the implementation of which has since become Government Policy. In a vote, the Security Council adopted the proposal, which will see the UN Secretary General produce an oral report on Freedom of Religion or Belief related threats to international peace and security. The initial deadline is 14th June 2024, with the intention of such a statement becoming an annual event.
Religious persecution and freedom of religion were on the agenda at the gathering of the global Anglican Communion at the Lambeth Conference in 2022. At the Conference a range of ‘calls’, or priorities for the Church worldwide, were made to tackle these issues. The documents relating to Freedom of Religion and religious persecution can be found under the Inter-Faith, Christian Unity and Human Dignity sections, here: https://www.lambethconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Lambeth-Calls-English-2023.pdf(opens in a new tab)
The Church of England remains closely involved with the work of the FCDO in supporting the work of His Majesty’s Ambassadors and diplomats and the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief. More information about the work of the International Panel can be found here: https://www.ippforb.com/about/
Church of England: Greater Manchester
James Daly MP (Con, Bury North): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many Parishes currently have interregnums in the Diocese of Manchester.
Andrew Selous: The appointment of parish priests is a matter for diocesan bishops. The information is not held centrally by the National Church Institutions.
You may wish to enquire with the Manchester Diocese: https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/our-staff/ (opens in a new tab)
or with the Bishop of Manchester: https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/bishops/bishopmanchester.php
Religion: Education
Julian Knight: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support (a) education and (b) the promotion of values-based learning in schools.
Andrew Selous: Church of England Schools provide an education to approximately one million children a day. A quarter of all primary schools, 1,540 academies, 280 Multi Academy Trusts, and 500 independent schools across England have a Church of England ethos.
The Church of England Foundation for Education Leadership supports teachers, headteachers and senior management teams alongside 22,500 governors to develop the skills they need. More information about the Foundation is available here: https://www.cefel.org.uk/ (opens in a new tab)
In each diocese a Diocesan Board of Education supports church schools, which represents an annual investment of over £15 million
The Church of England vision for education focuses on the development of the common good for the whole community, prioritising the development of four key areas: wisdom, hope, community and dignity. More information about the vision, including detail about how it is lived out in schools, is available here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/education-and-schools/vision-education
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.