Church Commissioners
The hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the
Church Commissioners was asked—
Global Summit: Freedom of Religion or Belief
(Eastbourne) (Con)
3. What role the Church of England has in supporting the global
summit to promote freedom of religion or belief, to be hosted by
the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in July 2022.
(905957)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
The Church is making every effort to support that important
summit to promote freedom of religion or belief. A debate was
held on the lack of global religious freedom at last month’s
General Synod and I am pleased that my hon. Friend the Member for
Congleton (), in her capacity as the Prime
Minister’s special envoy for freedom of religion or belief, was
able to brief Synod members on the huge cost of following Jesus
in many parts of the world.
Has my hon. Friend seen the 2021 research report, “Defeating
Minority Exclusion and Unlocking Potential: Christianity in the
Holy Land”, which reflects the significance of that community’s
contribution to public value and welfare but also the
vulnerability of its position? Does he agree that the forthcoming
ministerial summit presents an excellent opportunity to discuss
and debate its findings and recommendations?
I have seen the report and I share my hon. Friend’s concerns
about its findings, which show the political and economic
instability and the social intimidation that people are facing.
The international ministerial meeting in July will provide an
opportunity for that research to be widely shared and for the
report’s concerns to be addressed.
(Strangford) (DUP)
At the summit coming up this year, it will be really important to
have individual stories from the countries where persecution is
rife, whether that is China, India, Pakistan, Iran or other parts
of the world. Will that be part of the conference?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who takes a very serious
interest in these matters. He is absolutely right. The has just been in
Pakistan, including Peshawar, where Pastor William Siraj was
horrendously murdered on 30 January this year. Those stories must
be heard, and he is absolutely right.
Ukraine
(Kensington) (Con)
4. What steps the Church of England is taking to support the
people of Ukraine.(905958)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
The Church is responding through prayer, giving and action.
Parishes across the country prayed for peace on 27 February and
are supporting humanitarian appeals. Chaplaincies across Europe
are providing support to refugees now. The Church has sold its
investments in Russian firms and there were no investments, I am
pleased to say, in Russian sovereign debt.
Churches throughout my constituency, including St James’s in
Norlands, and indeed other faith institutions have been at the
forefront of the humanitarian appeal for Ukraine. Can I ask my
hon. Friend specifically if the Church Commissioners have plans
to sponsor refugees as part of the upcoming humanitarian
sponsorship scheme?
Again, I am very grateful to my hon. Friend. I can tell her that
the Church of England has been one of the major partners in the
community sponsorship of refugees in the past and stands ready to
do so again. We are urgently awaiting further details from the
Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities on how the sponsorship route will work, and we
certainly intend to be fully involved.
Family Hubs
(East Kilbride, Strathaven
and Lesmahagow) (SNP)
5. What support the Church of England is providing to family
hubs.(905959)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
The chairs the
multi-denominational Church works commission, which is engaging
with the Government on how churches can best participate in
family hubs, as we believe that churches, other faiths and the
voluntary sector all have a very important role to play in the
successful delivery of family hubs.
Dr Cameron
Church groups have been supporting excellent 12-step programmes,
including Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, for many
years. The all-party parliamentary group on the twelve steps
recovery programme from addiction, which I chair, is very keen to
hear how the Church Commissioners are supporting mental health
and addiction issues, including linking with 12-step programmes
in family hubs.
Well, I would be delighted to arrange a meeting with the hon.
Lady’s all-party group on this important subject. I can tell her
that the Church works commission is already working with
Government Departments and leading Christian charities on
proposals to tackle mental wellbeing and loneliness. The diocese
of Manchester, for example, runs a large-scale project to support
young people’s mental health and has a mental health wellbeing
youth worker. The leads on our addictions
work and has done particular work on gambling.
Warroch Hill
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and
Selkirk) (Con)
6. What steps the Church of England is taking to ensure that the
Warroch Hill property in Perthshire contributes to the local
environment.(905960)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
The Warroch Hill tree planting scheme will sequester carbon,
protect water courses and reduce incidents of flash flooding.
Local jobs have been created, and the biodiversity of the site is
being significantly increased in comparison with its former use
as an upland hill farm.
I very much welcome that response, and I also welcome the
investment that the Church of England is making in Scotland, but
what progress is the Church making to ensure that all of its
investments—not only in Scotland, but across the UK—are
contributing positively to the environment?
That is a very good and welcome challenge from my hon. Friend,
and I can reassure him that the Church Commissioners are
committed to the long-term stewardship of our land and seek to
adopt best practice in meeting the global challenges of combating
climate change and reducing biodiversity loss. Our forests are
managed in accordance with the UK forestry standard and the UK
woodland assurance standard, which also protect water resources
and enhance soils. The Church, along with other major landowners,
has also signed the National Trust’s nature-based solutions
compact.
Housing
(Harrow East) (Con)
7. What steps the Church of England is taking to provide
affordable and sustainable housing on its estate.(905961)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
We are currently delivering 29,000 new homes, of which around
9,000 will be affordable. These can be small, edge- of-village
developments, or major master-planned new communities with, for
example, country parks, sporting and community facilities,
allotments, schools, shops, healthcare facilities, libraries and
cafés.
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Clearly, there is a
desperate need for social rented housing in this country, and the
belief is that we need between 90,000 and 100,000 homes a year.
The Church has enormous amounts of land. Will he encourage the
Church to give up more of its land for social rented
accommodation?
I thank my hon. Friend for that important question, and his
passion for this issue is shared by the , no less. The
Church Commissioners’ land portfolio has the potential to deliver
around 30,000 new homes across England, and the Church is
determined to play its part in tackling the housing crisis.
Developments will have a mixture of market rate and affordable
homes, and we are committed to building vibrant communities,
learning from best practice in the Duchy of Cornwall and
elsewhere. In the village of Shepherdswell in Kent, for example,
10 of the 13 new village homes will be affordable.
Columba Declaration
(West Aberdeenshire and
Kincardine) (Con)
9. To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire,
representing the Church Commissioners, what joint projects have
resulted from the Columba Declaration between the Church of
England and Church of Scotland. (905963)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
The Columba Declaration has led to regular contact between the
Churches, and the strengthening of both in serving their nations
by co-operating on issues of public policy and promoting
Christian life. One example of that is the Thy Kingdom Come
partnership for nationwide prayer, adopted in November 2018. In
Cumbria the Churches work together to form mission communities
made up of all the churches in a locality.
The Columba Declaration set out where the Churches of England and
Scotland could allow close and growing co-operation in a
multitude of areas, including where mutually supported work
between the Church of England’s Mission and Public Affairs, and
the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council, could work
to support refugees. In light of what is happening in Ukraine,
has there been any discussion or co-operation about that, under
the terms of the Columba Declaration, meaning that the two
Churches might pool resources and effort to support refugees who
are fleeing that terrible situation in Ukraine?
I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s question, and I reassure him
that the two Churches have already been in touch with each other
about supporting Ukrainian refugees. They will continue to share
experience, and consider carefully whether joint action may be
more effective as the situation develops.
Platinum Jubilee
(Buckingham) (Con)
10. What plans the Church of England has to mark the platinum
jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen. (905964)
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
Her Majesty the Queen is the supreme governor of the Church of
England and a supreme example of a life of public service,
inspired by her hope in the Christian gospel. There will be a
national service of celebration at St Paul’s cathedral and
special services and prayers across the country. The Church of
England is an enthusiastic participant in the Queen’s green
canopy initiative across all of its 42 dioceses.
In celebration of Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee, St Mary’s
church in Princes Risborough wishes to do something practical and
expand its community initiatives such as community outreach,
mother and toddler groups and over-70s’ lunch clubs. What can the
Church of England do practically to support that great
ambition?
I am delighted to learn about the excellent work that St Mary’s
in Princes Risborough is already doing in the parish, and it
would be a fitting tribute to Her Majesty to build on that good
work. I suggest that, in the first instance, St Mary’s should get
in touch with the director of mission and ministry in the Oxford
diocese, who I am sure will have a number of practical
suggestions of interest.
(Wellingborough) (Con)
May I say in passing how wonderful it is when we have a question
session in which the people who reply are succinct and to the
point. Perhaps we should get Ministers here for a lesson in how
it is done. Will the Second Church Estates Commissioner tell us
more about the plans to let this House know what the Church of
England is doing in regard to the celebrations?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that compliment. I repeat
that there will be a national service of celebration at St Paul’s
cathedral organised by the Church of England. That will probably
be the focal point, but I know that there will be enormous
celebrations in his constituency, in mine and, indeed, in every
constituency across these islands, and I hope that the Church of
England, churches and all faith groups will be at the heart of
them.
