Contributions
145 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAnimal CrueltyThat is very kind of you, Mr Speaker. I will save my tribute for the right time, in due course. Unfortunately, as colleagues with rural constituencies may know, at this time of…31 Oct 2019HANSARDArchbishops of Canterbury and York: WorkloadThe Archbishops of York and Canterbury have many duties in relation to the northern and southern provinces of the Church of England, and the Archbishop of Canterbury is also the…31 Oct 2019HANSARDClimate Change: Investment in CompaniesSince this is my last set of oral questions, I would like to record my heartfelt thanks to my small team of staff, and especially my constituency secretary, who has faithfully…31 Oct 2019HANSARDClimate Change: Investment in CompaniesMy hon. Friend’s illustration shows that the Church is consistent from top to bottom in its determination to tackle climate change. Today we really can celebrate the fact that…31 Oct 2019HANSARDClimate Change: Investment in CompaniesI thank the hon. Gentleman for his very kind words. I nearly invited my family to come and sit in on this last set of questions, but I think that if they had heard that…31 Oct 2019HANSARDArchbishops of Canterbury and York: WorkloadFortunately, I had a little advance notice of the tenor of my hon. Friend’s question. He is absolutely right that, for around 16 years between 787 and 803, there was an Archbishop…31 Oct 2019HANSARDCommunity ReconciliationThe Church of England is involved in reconciliation work, both at home and abroad, and most recently on the international scene, the leadership of the Church of England has worked…31 Oct 2019HANSARDCommunity ReconciliationThere is an active proposition to initiate a reconciliation process, run out of Coventry. The cathedral of Coventry has a mission for peace and reconciliation because of its…31 Oct 2019HANSARDCommunity ReconciliationI thank my hon. Friend for his kind words. I certainly welcome him to this Question Time in his role as the special envoy for freedom of religion and belief. He can do important…31 Oct 2019HANSARDCommunity ReconciliationThose are such kind words, and I will treasure them; I really appreciate the thought that went into expressing them. On the work of our prison chaplains and in particular the…31 Oct 2019HANSARDTelecommunications: Use of ChurchesThis is a subject that my right hon. Friend has been very diligent in drawing to my attention. I recently met the Minister for digital and broadband, my hon. Friend the Member for…31 Oct 2019HANSARDTelecommunications: Use of ChurchesI am not sure what can be said in answer to that, but hon. Members present will know with what great affection my right hon. Friend is held, affectionately known by most of us as…31 Oct 2019HANSARDDigital Technology: New CongregationsDuring my time as Second Church Estates Commissioner, I have seen the Church of England transform its digital communications. Its annual mission statistics show, for example, that…31 Oct 2019HANSARDThefts from ChurchesAs we have seen all too clearly in the recent very heavy rainfall, wet weather is often the moment we realise we have a hole in the roof, and, sadly, many churches have discovered…31 Oct 2019HANSARDThefts from ChurchesI thank the hon. Lady for those very kind words, and indeed, with the full support of my staff, I did speak out about the abuse we face and that might perhaps be part of my legacy…31 Oct 2019HANSARDMarriage: 16 and 17-year-oldsThe legal position is that 16 and 17-year-olds are entitled to have their banns published and to marry in church. I am sure that all Members who have been to an Anglican wedding…31 Oct 2019HANSARDMarriage: 16 and 17-year-oldsAs I mentioned earlier, the Anglican communion covers a very large number of nations and a very large number of people whose cultural norms differ from our own, but aid agencies…31 Oct 2019HANSARDMarriage: 16 and 17-year-oldsI thank my hon. Friend for his kind words. We did indeed enter Parliament together, and in those early weeks when we did not really have an office, and we were adjusting to the…31 Oct 2019HANSARDDigital Technology: New CongregationsI thank my hon. Friend for his kind words. For the record, I must say that being Second Church Estates Commissioner has been a great blessing. When I was invited to do the job,…31 Oct 2019HANSARDDigital Technology: New CongregationsI am delighted to say that my responsibility covers only the Church of England, but obviously the Church in Scotland is part of the Anglican communion, and the opportunity to use…31 Oct 2019