Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether (a) the Church of England, (b) its pension funds and (c) its investment funds support (i) boycotts and (ii) divestment of companies selling (A) goods and (B) services (1) from and (2) to (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Territories.

The National Church Institutions do not have a policy of supporting boycotts or divestments related to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Church Commissioners’ and the Church of England Pensions Board’s approaches are individually informed by the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, with neither institution implementing an automatic divestment policy for companies connected to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board each implement a Human Rights policy, in line with which they independently screen holdings for corporate human rights risks in their distinct portfolios and run a Controversies Process. This includes reviewing companies that are alleged to cause, contribute to, or are linked to human rights risks and impacts. Each Fund looks at companies on a case-by-case basis and engages with companies that fail their controversy screens, which can lead to exclusions.

The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board each apply this approach across their separate portfolios. In conflict-affected and high-risk areas, each Fund notes the heightened risks of human rights harms and takes this into account when screening their portfolios.