Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether a draft form of Pastoral Guidance for Ministry has been (a) prepared and (b) shared with the (i) House and (ii) College of Bishops.
Answered by Andrew Selous
Drafts of the section on Ministry in the Pastoral Guidance were shared with the College of Bishops and House of Bishops and on both occasions they asked for further work to be done. It is hoped that this will be completed as soon as possible, and I recognise that some are disappointed that this is not being brought to the November Synod.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the General Synod papers on Living in Love and Faith circulated on 20 October 2023 reflect the current position of the (a) House and (b)College of Bishops.
Answered by Andrew Selous
Drafts of the material presented in the November Synod papers were seen and commented on by the College of Bishops and House of Bishops at their respective meetings on 18th September and 9th October. The papers for the November meeting of General Synod were drafted and agreed by the Chairs of the LLF steering group based on this feedback and noting the diversity of opinions held by the bishops.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what physical acts the Church refers to when teaching that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is forbidden.
Answered by Andrew Selous
The Living in Love and Faith process has always sought to recognise that the expression of sexual intimacy between two people cannot be reduced to a small set of defined actions.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Answer of 19 September 2023 to Question 198286 and to recommendation 5 in Appendix 1 of Sir Robert Chote's review, whether the dioceses’ annual returns on Lowest Income Communities Funding funding for 2022 will be published.
Answered by Andrew Selous
A summary analysis of dioceses’ returns on their use of the Lowest Income Communities Funding in 2022 will be published next year in the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board’s 2023 annual report to the Archbishops’ Council, which will be made publicly available as a General Synod (Misc) paper and on the Church of England website.
A summary analysis of dioceses’ returns on their use of the Lowest Income Communities Funding in 2021 was published in the Strategic Investment Board’s 2022 annual report to the Archbishops’ Council, which was published as a General Synod (Misc) paper and is available on the Church of England website at: final-version-2022-sib-annual-report-for-synod.pdf (churchofengland.org) (page 14 refers to the relevant information).
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to move the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035 on (a) consumers and (b) investor confidence in electric vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The decision to delay the complete ban of the sale of on petrol and diesel cars comes alongside the publication of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, which sets out one of the most ambitious pathways to zero emission vehicles of any major economy. Taken together, these represent a balanced decision, which allows people to choose to travel how they want, whilst giving investors’ confidence in our the Government’s future plans.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to item 30 in his Department's policy paper entitled The plan for drivers, published on 2 October 2023, what steps he plans to take with industry to myth-bust concerns about electric vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As set out in the Plan for Drivers, the Government will continue to champion the transition to zero emission vehicles, by working with industry to address common misconceptions and show how EVs can be a practical option for most drivers. This will include active engagement with news and specialist industry outlets, providing up to date information in government publications and continued media monitoring to rebut false narratives and to highlight the benefits of electric vehicles.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to Review of Lowest Income Communities and Strategic Development Funding, published in March 2022, what steps the Church Commissioners have taken to implement new governance arrangements to ensure that Lowest Incomes Communities Funding is distributed to dioceses by the Archbishops’ Council is accounted for (a) effectively and (b) transparently.
Answered by Andrew Selous
The Independent Review of Lowest Income Communities Funding and Strategic Development Funding led by Sir Robert Chote was published in March 2022 and can be read here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/irls-final-report-2.pdf
In respect of improving governance arrangements of Lowest Income Communities Funding (LInC) the Review recommended:
The action taken so far by the Archbishops' Council's Vision and Strategy team in response to those recommendations has been to:
The Independent Review also made further suggestions in Recommendation 1: "encouraging dioceses to use LInC funding more for clergy transitions" and in Recommendation 4: "maintaining current levels of LInC funding". While not related directly to governance, these may also feature in the learning event and in ongoing conversations with dioceses.
From the start of 2023, the new Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB), a committee of the Archbishops' Council, has replaced the previous Strategic Investment Board and Strategic Ministry Board. It distributes and monitors funds made available by the Church Commissioners and Archbishops' Council via LInC, SDF, and other similar funds.
The Boards of the Archbishops’ Council and the Church Commissioners are regularly updated by the SMMIB about funding decisions and projects supported by these funds. Members of the Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners Boards are part of the SMMIB and help monitor funding decisions and spending. The SMMIB will also provide an annual report to the General Synod.
More information about the role the SMMIB plays can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/new-board-oversee-unprecedented-church-england-investment-mission-and
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the announcement by the Archbishop of York of an independent inquiry into the decision to close down the Independent Safeguarding Board, if he will publish a copy of the inquiry's finings once available.
Answered by Andrew Selous
The Archbishop of York has committed that the findings of this review will be made public.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the number of supply chain jobs that will be created in (a) Devon and (b) the UK from the installation of a subsea electricity generation and storage connection to Morocco by 2030.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As the Government set out in the Energy Security Plan, we are actively exploring the potential for international projects to provide clean, affordable and secure power. We are interested in the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project and are considering – without commitment – the viability and merits of the proposal to understand if it could contribute to the UK’s energy security.
We have established a team in the department to assess the project through a Business Case process that will consider potential economic benefits, including jobs.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Morocco-UK Power Project on the number of maritime jobs in the UK.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department for Transport does not plan to make an assessment of the potential impact on the Morocco-UK Power Project on the number of maritime jobs in the UK.