of which notice has been given under Standing Orders 105-109 to be taken on Thursday 9 February 2006. The questions for written reply are marked with an asterisk.
INDEX
QUESTIONS 1-6 MINISTRY DIVISION
Part-time ordinands: availability of theology degree courses Q1
Curacies and curates: statistics Q2
Former ‘young ordinands’: support and guidance Q3
Inclusion of Deaf people Q4
* Training in evangelism and apologetics: requirements Q5
* Non-stipendiary priests: numbers by diocese and sex Q6
QUESTIONS 7-14 MISSION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Cuts to primary healthcare trusts Q7
Study of doctor-aided deaths: response Q8
Initiatives to counter ignorance of Christianity Q9
Representations in support of Mordecai Vanunu Q10
Non-religious funerals: consultation with the Church Q11
Homosexual practice: public expression of views Q12
Threat to freedom of religious speech: response Q13
Racial Hatred Bill and comment on proposed legislation Q14
QUESTIONS 15-16 BUSINESS COMMITTEE
Question Time: timing Q15
Lay representation: possible amendments Q16
QUESTIONS 17-33 CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Octavia Hill Estates: impact on public perceptions Q17
Octavia Hill Estates: sale to housing associations Q18
Octavia Hill Estates: tenancy agreements and rent Q19
Octavia Hill Estates: retention as affordable housing Q20
Octavia Hill Estates: original purpose Q21
Octavia Hill Estates: opposition Q22
Octavia Hill Estates: undertakings in 2001 Q23
Octavia Hill Estates: existing use (social housing) valuation Q24
Octavia Hill Estates: reason for sale to highest bidder Q25
Sale of clergy retirement housing Q26
Shell: ECCR Resolution Q27
Legal Office: reasons for out-sourcing Q28
Legal Office: timetable for out-sourcing Q29
Legal Office: consultation about out-sourcing Q30
Legal Office: overstretched staff and moratorium on recruitment Q31
Legal Office: impact of out-sourcing Q32
Women Bishops: financial assistance for opponents Q33
QUESTIONS 34-35 PENSIONS BOARD
Ordination of women: properties purchased for leavers Q34
Civil partnerships: assurances Q35
QUESTIONS 36-41 ARCHBISHOPS’ COUNCIL
Legal Office: plans for the future Q36
Legal Office: implementation of service review recommendations Q37
Charities Bill: prospects of registration Q38
Board of Mission and MPA Council: proportion of Synod budget Q39
Administrative Costs Working Group: progress Q40
Criteria for delegation of dioceses as ‘rural’ Q41
QUESTIONS 42-57 HOUSE OF BISHOPS
Policies of delaying appointment to parishes Q42
Fresh Expressions: report Q43
Mission-Shaped Church: support for agenda Q44
2008 Lambeth Conference: cost and numbers Q45
Senior appointments: opponents of ordination of women Q46
Senior appointments: supporters of ordination of women Q47
Women bishops: constructive dismissal Q48
Jerry Springer – the Opera: advice Q49
Thirst for Life campaign: commendation Q50
Civil Partnerships: alteration of church legislation Q51-52
Civil Partnerships: refusal of church marriage Q53
Civil Partnerships: permission to marry Q54
Homosexuality: integrity of divergent views Q55
Virgin birth: statement by incumbent Q56
Denial of Virgin birth: disciplinary implications Q57
QUESTIONS 58-60 SECRETARY GENERAL
Resolutions A and B: curtailment of ministry Q58
Civil partnerships: greetings cards Q59
Electoral rolls: statistics on ethnic origin Q60
QUESTIONS 61-65 CLERK TO THE SYNOD
General Synod: non-Christian observers Q61
Questions: delay in posting Answers Q62
Chairmanship: guidance Q63
Panel of Chairmen: propriety of members approaching Q64
Elections: acceptability of negative campaigning Q65
QUESTION 66 CLERGY DISCIPLINE COMMISSION
Lambeth/Bishopthorpe register: transfer to Archbishops’ list Q66
QUESTIONS 67-68 LEGAL ADVISORY COMMISSION
Churchwardens in parish church cathedrals: responsibilities Q67
Non-stipendiary priests: appointment as incumbent Q68
QUESTIONS 69-74 BOARD OF EDUCATION
Decline in biblical literacy and Christian knowledge Q69
General Synod: members under 25 Q70
Church schools: employment of dangerous persons Q71
Schools White Paper: theological assessment Q72
City Academies: church partnerships with other sponsors: established Q73
City Academies: church partnerships with other sponsors: planned Q74
QUESTIONS 75-76 CATHEDRALS AND CHURCH BUILDINGS DIVISION
Working at Height Regulations: Anglican light bulbs Q75
Church repairs: application for grants Q76
QUESTIONS 77-79 COUNCIL FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Women Bishops: ecumenical comments Q77
Same-sex relationships: Swedish and Norwegian decisions Q78
Homosexuality: response to Cardinal Kasper’s statements Q79
MINISTRY DIVISION
The Bishop of Norwich to reply as Chairman of the Ministry Division
Mrs Christine McMullen (Derby) to ask the Chairman of the Ministry Division:
Q1 In view of the need to encourage academic theology as clergy numbers decrease, what steps is the Ministry Division taking to ensure that level 3 theology degree courses are on offer to all suitable part-time ordinands in all the new RTP arrangements?
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds to reply as Chairman of the Deployment, Remuneration and Conditions of Service Committee
The Revd Simon Bessant (Blackburn) to ask the Chairman of the Ministry Division:
Q2 Has the Ministry Division statistical data concerning
the number of ordinands in their final year of training for stipendiary ministry and the number of curacies available for them this year; and
the number of stipendiary curates who are actively seeking a move but who have not been successful, and whose current position is time-limited?
The Revd Robert Cotton (Guildford) to ask the Chairman of the Ministry Division:
Q3 In light of the welcome emphasis on younger vocations, what has the Ministry Division done to support, guide and encourage those who, having been “younger ordinands” some years ago, still have many years of service to offer the Church?
The Bishop of Sheffield to reply as Chairman of the Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People
The Ven George Howe (Carlisle) to ask the Chairman of the Ministry Division:
Q4 Now that the proceedings of Synod are translated into British Sign Language for the Deaf representatives, what further steps are being taken at national level to ensure greater inclusion for Deaf people in the life and ministry of the Church, particularly in regard to ministerial training?
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
The Revd Mark Ireland (Lichfield) to ask the Chairman of the Ministry Division:
Q5 What training in the areas of evangelism and apologetics is required to be included for an ordination course to be approved by the House of Bishops and are these requirements being reviewed in the light of the recommendations of the Mission-Shaped Church report?
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
Mr David Jones (Salisbury) to ask the Chairman of the Ministry Division:
Q6 By diocese, how many male and how many female priests, trained for full-time ministry, are:
in full-time; or
in part-time posts as non-stipendiary ministers?
MISSION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
The Bishop of St Albans to reply as Chairman of the Hospital Chaplaincies Council
The Revd Jonathan Alderton-Ford (St Edmundsbury & Ipswich) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q7 Since my last question in November, the massive cuts made to Primary Healthcare Trusts in Suffolk have been repeated in other areas of the country. In addition, cuts to local authorities grants mean their care provision is being seriously reduced too. In the light of that, has the Council considered whether it is not time for the Church of England, at all levels, to call the Government to account for this unjust and potentially dangerous situation and, if it has, what action would it urge the dioceses to take?
Mr Joseph Brookfield (Blackburn) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q8 Has the Council responded to attempts by the pro-euthanasia lobby to justify their position through the findings of a recently published study by Professor Clive Searle of the School of Social Science and Law at Brunel University that doctors aided the deaths of almost 3,000 people last year?
The Bishop of Southwark to answer as Vice-Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council
Mrs Mary Judkins (Wakefield) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q9 As the ‘Moslem Awareness Week’ initiative has been successful in countering ignorance about Islam, has consideration been given to what similar initiatives the Church of England could introduce to counter widespread ignorance about Christianity?
The Revd Simon Butler (Southwark) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q10 The Anglican Christian Israeli Mordecai Vanunu, who exposed the extent of Israeli nuclear weapons development in the 1980s, was recently released from prison after serving 18 years in solitary confinement and is now living at St George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem. Given that his liberty is extremely restricted and he is forbidden from speaking to foreigners, what representations have been made from the Church of England to the Israeli government to secure the normal freedoms any of us would take for granted, and what support from England is being offered to the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East in their solidarity with him?
The Revd Canon Nigel LLoyd (Salisbury) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q11 What consultation took place with the Church of England, and with what result, before Register Offices began to offer non-religious funerals, including prayers and hymns?
Mr Andrew Presland (Peterborough) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q12 Has the Council considered whether it remains lawful for Church of England members to express publicly their views on homosexual practice?
Dr Philip Giddings to reply as Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council
Miss Prudence Dailey (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q13 What has been the Church’s response to the threat to freedom of religious speech posed by recent instances in which Christian and Muslim commentators have been investigated by the Police for so-called “hate crimes”?
Mr Clive Scowen (London) to ask the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council:
Q14 What steps, if any, has the Mission and Public Affairs Council taken:
to enable the General Synod to debate the implications of the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill and to express its views thereon to Her Majesty’s Government;
to express the concerns of the Church of England and many of its members about the likely effects of the Bill if enacted, and to seek to influence Government thinking on the matter; and
to put in place a system which would enable the General Synod to comment on proposed Government legislation within a timescale which would enable Government and/or Parliament to take account of the Synod’s views before the legislation was enacted?
BUSINESS COMMITTEE
The Ven Alan Hawker to reply as a member of the Business Committee
Mr Martin Dales (York) to ask the Chairman of the Business Committee:
Q15 What is the reasoning behind having Questions as the last item of the Synod’s business on the final day in this Group of Sessions?
Mr Clive Scowen (Liverpool) to ask the Chairman of the Business Committee:
Q16 Has any person or committee answerable to the General Synod given any consideration within the last 5 years to amending the Church Representation Rules so as to secure that either
the scales of representation for elections of laity to deanery synods (which form the electoral colleges for elections to the Houses of Laity of diocesan synods and the General Synod) ensure fair and equal representation of all parishes and do not lead to the relative over-representation of smaller churches at the expense of medium-sized and larger churches; or
separate electoral colleges, elected in accordance with such scales, are created in each diocese for elections of laity to diocesan synods and General Synod?
Mr Andreas Whittam Smith to reply as First Church Estates Commissioner
Mr Joseph Brookfield (Blackburn) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q17 Have the Church Commissioners considered what impact their proposed sale of the Octavia Hill Estates is having on perceptions of the Church as a whole in wider society?
Mrs Christine McMullen (Derby) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q18 Given the acute shortage of affordable housing in South London, why is the proposed sale of the Octavia Hill Estates not restricted to housing associations which are registered with The Housing Corporation, who would be able to maintain this provision?
Mr Adrian Greenwood (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q19 What enforceable conditions are the Church Commissioners attaching to the sale of the Octavia Hill Estates to ensure that (a) the terms of the tenancy agreements of existing tenants remain substantially the same and (b) future rent increases are restricted by a formula to keep them affordable, such as the Government’s current guideline for housing associations of RPI plus 0.5%?
Mr Adrian Greenwood (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q20 What enforceable conditions are the Church Commissioners attaching to the sale of the Octavia Hill Estates to ensure that a significant proportion of the properties are retained in perpetuity as affordable rented housing for people not able to afford to rent or buy on the open market in the area?
Mrs April Alexander (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q21 What was the original purpose behind the development of the Octavia Hill Estates, and what was the role of Octavia Hill?
Miss Vasantha Gnanadoss (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q22 Regarding the proposed sale of the Octavia Hill Estates in South London, are the Church Commissioners aware of the strong opposition to the proposed sale amongst tenants, local elected leaders and local church leaders, many of whom believe that the sale is contrary to the mission of the Church?
Mrs April Alexander (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q23 What undertakings were given to tenants, to local clergy and to the General Synod about the future of the properties on the Octavia Hill Estates in 2001 when the policy on rents was last reviewed?
Mr Peter Haddock (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q24 Why, since the Octavia Hill Estates have been managed as affordable rented housing over the past century, is the proposed sale not on an Existing Use (Social Housing) Valuation?
The Revd Paul Collier (Southwark) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q25 Why are the Church Commissioners proposing to sell the Octavia Hill Estates to the highest bidder?
Mrs Margaret Tilley (Canterbury) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q26 Following the report in the leading property and surveying journal, Estates Gazette, (12 November 2005, p.53) that the Church Commissioners are planning to sell off a portfolio of clergy retirement housing worth £160 million, and the statement in the article that “according to insiders, the deal could be snapped up for considerably less than the £160m gross asset value”, what steps have been taken by the Commissioners to ensure that the proposed sale is in the best interests of the Church and is fully supported by all interested parties?
Mr Aiden Hargreaves-Smith (London) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q27 Are the Church Commissioners (who reportedly own £65.6 million worth of shares in Shell) aware of the work of the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) in relation to Shell, and in particular its reports that Shell has
failed to carry out effective and complete environmental and social impact assessments of new developments or modifications to existing facilities, in contravention of its own guidelines; and
failed to develop and abide by memoranda of understanding with local communities
and is there any good reason why the Commissioners cannot support ECCR’s resolution, calling on Shell to achieve significant improvements in the quality of its risk analysis, social and environmental impact assessment and community consultations, and to implement rigorous policies and independent assessments when proposing untested technical solutions?
Mrs Sarah Finch (London) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q28 What are the reasons for the Commissioners’ outsourcing of part of the Legal Office of the National Church Institutions, involving, as it would, the compulsory transfer to the private sector of a significant number of Legal Office staff?
Mr John Ward (London) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q29 What is the timetable for the Commissioners’ consideration of the proposed outsourcing of National Church Institutions Legal Office staff?
Mr Robert Hammond (Chelmsford) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q30 What formal discussions and consultation took place
with elected Church Commissioners;
at the Management Advisory Committee
at the Board of Governors; and
with affected staff
before invitations to tender were issued to a pre-chosen list of private law firms, in relation to the proposed outsourcing of NCI Legal Office staff by the Church Commissioners?
The Ven Richard Seed (York) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q31 Is it the case that concurrently
the Legal Office has been criticised for a “lack of resources”, “overstretched staff” and “too little depth of cover for busy and high pressure urgent work” such that the Commissioners are proposing to outsource work and transfer staff to the private sector; and yet
there is a moratorium on recruitment to relevant posts in the Legal Office?
The Ven Richard Seed (York) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q32 What detailed investigation and analysis have been undertaken by the Commissioners of the likely impact
financially on the Commissioners, and thus on funds available to support the work and mission of the Church;
on the running of the Legal Office;
on the legal support available to the other NCIs; and
on the individual members of staff affected
of outsourcing a substantial proportion of the work and staff of the Legal Office?
Mr John Pope (Chichester) to ask the Church Commissioners:
Q33 What plans have the Church Commissioners made for providing financial assistance for those clergy who in conscience will not be able to accept the oversight or jurisdiction of a woman bishop or the provisions envisaged in the conclusions in GS 1605 should the Church of England decide to proceed with the ordination of women to the episcopate?
PENSIONS BOARD
Mr Allan Bridgewater to reply as Chairman of the Pensions Board
Mrs Margaret Tilley (Canterbury) to ask the Chairman of the Pensions Board:
Q34 How many properties were purchased under the CHARM scheme for clergy leaving the Church of England under the Ordination of Women legislation, what was their purchase price, and what is their current valuation?
Mr Paul Eddy (Winchester) to ask the Chairman of the Pensions Board:
Q35 In the light of the recent Civil Partnerships Act, would the Chairman of the Pensions Board advise Synod whether diocesan bishops will need to confirm they have received the necessary assurances under the House of Bishops’ Pastoral Statement on Civil Partnerships before any new beneficiary who has registered a civil partnership receives a benefit from the Clergy Pension Schemes?
ARCHBISHOPS’ COUNCIL
Mr Michael Chamberlain to reply as a member of the Archbishops’ Council.
Canon Peter Bruinvels (Guildford) to ask the Chairman of the Archbishops’ Council:
Q36 What plans are there for the future of the Legal Office and how will any proposed changes to its role affect the ongoing provision of legal services to the national institutions of the Church?
Mr Aiden Hargreaves-Smith (London) to ask the Chairman of the Archbishops’ Council:
Q37 As managing employer of the staff of the NCIs’ Legal Office, what efforts is the Archbishops’ Council making to ensure the proper implementation of the clear recommendations of the Service Review Group report that “fuller evidence should be gathered and a cost-benefit analysis carried out before a final decision is taken” in relation to the outsourcing of work and staff of the Legal Office, particularly bearing in mind
the fact that the Archbishops’ Council accepted the recommendations of the report at its November 2005 meeting;
the repeated references in the SRG report to the quality, commitment and dedication of staff; and
the fact that the Legal Office was examined in detail as part of the Archbishops’ Council’s review Discerning the Future, as a result of which the Archbishops' Council's Budget Group identified no scope for cost savings “without incurring additional external costs of a higher magnitude”?
Mr Gavin Oldham (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the Archbishops’ Council:
Q38 What steps have been taken to consult parishes with a turnover of £100,000 p.a. (estimated to number c. 1,700) about the prospects of their direct registration/regulation by the Charity Commission as a result of the decision not to seek exemption by making alternative regulation arrangements for the Church of England, which will be enabled by the new Charities Bill?
The Revd Mark Ireland (Lichfield) to ask the Chairman of the Archbishops’ Council:
Q39 In 1988 the Lambeth Conference called for a massive shift of resources from maintenance to mission. What proportion of the General Synod’s budget was allocated to the then Board of Mission in 1988 and what proportion of the General Synod’s budget is allocated in 2006 to the equivalent functions within the new Mission and Public Affairs Council?
Mr Andreas Whittam Smith to reply as a member of the Archbishops’ Council
Mr Gavin Oldham (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the Archbishops’ Council:
Q40 What is the current state of progress of the Administrative Costs Working Group, and what action is being taken to implement any decisions?
Dr Philip Giddings to reply as a member of the Archbishops’ Council
The Revd Jonathan Alderton-Ford (St Edmundsbury & Ipswich) to ask the Chairman of the Archbishops’ Council:
Q41 What are the criteria by which the Archbishops’ Council decides that dioceses are “rural” for statistical purposes?
HOUSE OF BISHOPS
The Bishop of Ripon & Leeds to reply as Chairman of the Deployment, Remuneration and Conditions of Service Committee
Mrs Ruth Whitworth (Ripon & Leeds) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q42 In view of recent evidence (the Archdeacon of Walsall’s book The Road to Growth) that a long interregnum is not in the best interests of the growth of the local church, and the fact that it is often contrary to the wishes of the PCC concerned, is the House aware how many dioceses still operate a policy of delaying appointments to parishes?
The Bishop of Bristol to reply as a member of the Mission and Public Affairs Council
Mr Colin Slater (Southwell & Nottingham) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q43 In the interests of keeping Mission-Shaped Church in the forefront of the Church’s agenda, will the House of Bishops share with General Synod, and thus with the wider Church, details of the report submitted by the Revd Dr Steven Croft, Archbishops’ Missioner and Fresh Expressions Team Leader, when the House met in January?
Mr Colin Slater (Southwell & Nottingham) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q44 Can the House advise Synod members how we, as well as Bishops, may encourage and support what is happening both nationally and in dioceses in relation to the Mission-Shaped Church agenda?
The Archbishop of Canterbury to reply
Canon Peter Bruinvels (Guildford) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q45 Has the House sought information from, or expressed any views to, the Archbishop of Canterbury on the cost of hosting the 2008 Lambeth Conference or the numbers attending it?
The Archbishop of York to reply
Mr John Hanks (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q46 (a) How many current diocesan bishops who ordain women to the priesthood have appointed to a senior office (suffragan bishop, dean, archdeacon or residentiary canon) a priest who is unable, in good conscience, to accept the ordination of women to the priesthood; and
How many is this as a percentage of all current diocesan bishops who ordain women to the priesthood?
Mr John Hanks (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q47 (a) How many current diocesan bishops who do not ordain women to the priesthood have appointed to a senior office (suffragan bishop, dean, archdeacon or residentiary canon) a priest who accepts the ordination of women to the priesthood; and
How many is this as a percentage of all current diocesan bishops who do not ordain women to the priesthood?
The Bishop of Guildford to reply as Chairman of the House’s Women Bishop’s Group
The Revd Canon Jane Sinclair (Sheffield) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q48 Has the House of Bishops considered whether or not clergy who in conscience cannot accept the ordination of women as bishops may be eligible to claim ‘constructive dismissal’, as recently claimed by the Bishop of Fulham; and, if the House believes that to be the case, what is the basis for that view?
The Bishop of Chelmsford to reply on behalf of the Chairman
The Revd Peter Spiers (Liverpool) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q49 What advice can the House of Bishops give to those who are upset and offended about the production Jerry Springer - The Opera, as it begins its regional tour?
The Bishop of Southwark to reply as Vice-Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council
The Revd Peter Spiers (Liverpool) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q50 Given that over the last 40 years alcohol consumption has doubled in the United Kingdom and, as a consequence, 22,000 Britons die each year through excessive alcohol consumption (which is treble the number of those dying through the use of illegal drugs), and given that alcohol-related harm costs the Government £20 billion a year, will the House of Bishops commend the Thirst for Life campaign that begins on 1 March (Ash Wednesday)?
The Bishop of Norwich to reply as Chairman of the House’s Civil Partnerships Group
The Revd Paul Perkin (Southwark) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q51 What pieces of church legislation has the House of Bishops, without consulting the General Synod, given the Government permission to alter by order so that the term ‘civil partner’ is added wherever the term ‘spouse’ is used?
Mrs Sarah Finch (London) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q52 Why did the Archbishops’ Council and the House of Bishops not consult more widely, with the General Synod and with the dioceses, before granting its consent for the Government to alter church law by order, so that church law would conform to the Government’s Civil Partnership legislation?
The Revd Canon Nigel LLoyd (Salisbury) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q53 Has any provision been made to allow a parish priest to refuse to marry in church someone who has a previous civil partner still living?
Miss Prudence Dailey (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q54 Has the House considered whether Church of England clergy are permitted to marry a couple, one (or both) of whom has previously registered a civil partnership which has not been formally dissolved?
The Revd Brian Lewis (Chelmsford) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q55 Since the Bishops of the Church in Wales in their November (2005) statement have recognised that the members of the Church in Wales hold a wide range of views on the Church’s approach to homosexuality, and in outlining the range of such views acknowledged each of them to be honest, legitimate and based on “reading the Scriptures with integrity”, has the House of Bishops considered issuing a similarly straightforward statement to the Church of England acknowledging the integrity of the divergent views within the Church of England and that they are likewise based on “reading the Scriptures with integrity”?
The Bishop of Rochester to reply as Chairman of the House’s Theological Group
Mr Barry Barnes (Southwark) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q56 The Church Times of 13 January carried a statement from an incumbent in Blackburn Diocese that the Virgin birth is a myth and that Our Lord was the natural child of Joseph and Mary. Can the House confirm whether this is now the official teaching of the Church of England?
Mr Barry Barnes (Southwark) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q57 Has the House considered whether a statement of the kind referred to in question number 56 by a stipend-receiving member of the Church is a disciplinary offence?
SECRETARY GENERAL
Ms Susan Cooper (London) to ask the Secretary General:
Q58 How many priests in secular ministry or new expressions of church have had their ministries curtailed because they have tried to minister geographically in parishes that have passed Resolution A of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993?
Ms Susan Cooper (London) to ask the Secretary General:
Q59 Following the sight of many happy photographs in the newspapers in late December, has Church House Publishing considered filling in the gap in the market for greeting cards intended to be sent to those celebrating the registering of Civil Partnerships?
Miss Vasantha Gnanadoss (Southwark) to ask the Secretary General:
Q60 Has a decision yet been taken to repeat the collection of statistics on ethnic origins when the next general revision of electoral rolls takes place?
CLERK TO THE SYNOD
Mr David Jones (Salisbury) to ask the Clerk to the Synod:
Q61 In his response to the debate on terrorism at the November Group of Sessions, the Bishop of Southwark envisaged that those with authority to do so would look into my proposal that, because of the importance of inter-faith dialogue (emphasised by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Presidential Address), representatives from the major non-Christian faiths in this country (Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs) should be invited to attend General Synod as observers. What consideration has been given to the proposal, and with what result?
Mr Andrew Presland (Peterborough) to ask the Clerk to the Synod:
Q62 What was the reason for the delay in posting on the Church of England website answers to Questions that were not reached in the Questions session during the November 2005 Group of Sessions?
Dr David Tweedie (Coventry) to ask the Clerk to the Synod:
Q63 Is any guidance offered to chairs about how to select the speakers to be called in a debate, including, for example, the need to balance lay and ordained speakers and to ensure that those with appropriate knowledge are called?
Mrs Alison Ruoff (London) to ask the Clerk to the Synod:
Q64 Has the Clerk considered whether there is any objection to the practice of a chairman, from the panel of chairmen, being approached (lobbied) by a Synod member prior to a debate to facilitate that person being called to speak in the debate, and if the practice is thought to be unobjectionable, has the Clerk considered whether it should be encouraged?
The Revd Simon Bessant (Blackburn) to ask the Clerk to the Synod:
Q65 Lobby groups play an important part in informing Synod members concerning issues when they are voting for fellow members to serve on Synod committees. However, has consideration been given to whether it is acceptable, under the rules by which the Synod operates, to engage in negative campaigning by suggesting whom members might choose not to vote for?
CLERGY DISCIPLINE COMMISSION
Judge John Bullimore to reply as Deputy Chairman of the Clergy Discipline Commission
The Rt Revd Peter Broadbent (Suffragan Bishops) to ask the Chairman of the Clergy Discipline Commission:
Q66 With regard to the Archbishops’ list maintained under the provisions of section 38 of the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003, what advice is being offered to diocesan bishops concerning the transfer under section 38(1)(e) of names to this list of those previously listed under Part Two of the Lambeth/Bishopthorpe register?
LEGAL ADVISORY COMMISSION
Chancellor Timothy Briden to reply as a member of the Legal Advisory Commission
Dr Edmund Marshall (Wakefield) to ask the Chairman of the Legal Advisory Commission:
Q67 What progress has the Commission made in determining the legal responsibilities of churchwardens in those cathedrals which are also parish churches?
The Revd Canon Hugh Atherstone (Chichester) to ask the Chairman of the Legal Advisory Commission:
Q68 Has the Commission considered whether present church legislation allows a non-stipendiary priest to be appointed and inducted as an incumbent of a parish or benefice?
BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Bishop of Maidstone to reply as Acting Chairman of the Board of Education
Mr Peter LeRoy (Bath & Wells) to ask the Chairman of the Board of Education:
Q69 In the light of its stated objective in GS 1607 (Into the New Quinquennium), what ongoing and fresh initiatives is the Board taking, in partnership with others, to combat the rapidly declining levels of biblical literacy and knowledge of the Christian story among children, given the statutory requirement and opportunity in all schools for “a daily act of collective worship that is wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”?
Mr Simon Butterworth (Manchester) to ask the Chairman of the Board of Education:
Q70 According to the Youth Strategy report (Good News for Young People, GS 1481) there should be a young person from every diocese at the General Synod by July 2006. With there currently being only two under 25s on General Synod plus the three Youth Council representatives, is this still achievable, what form will it take and how will it be implemented?
Mr Gerald O’Brien (Rochester) to ask the Chairman of the Board of Education:
Q71 What advice has the Board issued about procedures to be followed to ensure that persons who might present a danger to children are not employed in Church schools?
Dr David Tweedie (Coventry) to ask the Chairman of the Board of Education:
Q72 Following the statement from the Church of England’s chief education officer welcoming the Government’s invitation to the Church to establish local diocesan trusts, when may we hope to hear from the Board of Education a considered theological assessment of all aspects of the Government’s Schools White Paper as it affects the education of all the children of our nation?
Mr Alan Cooper (Manchester) to ask the Chairman of the Board of Education:
Q73 How many partnerships have been established by the Church of England (whether through diocesan bodies or charitable trusts) with other sponsors of City Academies?
Mr Alan Cooper (Manchester) to ask the Chairman of the Board of Education:
Q74 How many other partnerships of the kind referred to in my earlier question are at the planning stage?
CATHEDRALS AND CHURCH BUILDINGS DIVISION
The Bishop of Sodor and Man to reply as Chairman of the Council for the Care of Churches
The Revd Paul Perkin (Southwark) to ask the Chairman of the Cathedrals and Church Buildings Division:
Q75 In the light of: (a) recent guidance from the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group that the 2005 Working at Height Regulations apply to church buildings; and (b) media reports late last year that four people and scaffolding were needed to change five light bulbs 40 feet above ground at St Benet’s Roman Catholic Church in Beccles at a cost of £1,300, has the Division made any assessment of:
how many Anglicans it would take to change all the light bulbs in similarly lofty locations within Church of England buildings; and
what the total cost of such work would be for Parochial Church Councils across England?
Mrs Mary Judkins (Wakefield) to ask the Chairman of the Cathedrals and Church Buildings Division:
Q76 As many Anglican churches in England have applied, or are applying, for grants to work on their buildings amongst other things, what guidance can be given to those people dedicated to filling in form after form after form?
COUNCIL FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
The Bishop of Beverley to reply as a member of the Council for Christian Unity
Mr Gerald O’Brien (Rochester) to ask the Chairman of the Council for Christian Unity:
Q77 To how many ecumenical partners did the CCU send complimentary copies of the report Women Bishops in the Church of England, with an invitation to comment upon it, and is it still the case, as reported in GS Misc 807, that only four responses have been received?
The Bishop of Chichester to reply as Chairman of the Faith and Order Advisory Group
The Revd Canon Dr Christopher Sugden (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the Council for Christian Unity:
Q78 Have any communications been sent to the Churches of Sweden and Norway about the implications for relationships with the Church of England of their recent decisions on same-sex relationships, specifically the decision of the Church Assembly of the Church of Sweden to introduce a rite for the blessing of already registered same-sex partnerships; and the majority vote by the Bishops on the Doctrinal Commission of the Church of Norway in favour of same-sex cohabitants holding consecrated office?
The Revd Canon Dr Christopher Sugden (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the Council for Christian Unity:
Q79 What steps are being taken by the Council for Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Advisory Group to respond to the recent statements by the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kasper, that the issue of homosexuality has divisive power and is raising serious problems for the ecumenical movement?