GENERAL SYNOD February 2018 QUESTIONS of which notice has been given under Standing Orders 112–116. INDEX QUESTION 1 CHURCH COMMISSIONERS Church Commissioners’ grants Q1 QUESTIONS 2-3 PENSIONS BOARD Manormead Nursing Home Q2 Pensions Funds & Social Investment: response Q3 QUESTIONS 4-7 ARCHBISHOPS’ COUNCIL Setting God’s People Free: follow up Q4 Statistics: Worshipping communities Q5 Statistics: Confirmations Q6 Church attendance by young people Q7 QUESTIONS 8-60 HOUSE OF BISHOPS Discipleship in the family Q8 Passing on the Christian faith Q9 Support for those attending GAFCON Q10 Anglican Communion Companion links Q11-12 HoB Declaration: guidelines re parish resolutions Q13 Communicating HoB response to GS Motions Q14 Support for SSMs Q15 Senior appointments & mutual flourishing Q16 Senior appointments & minorities Q17 Report The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power Q18 Sheffield Report: response Q19 Canon C4 Faculties Q20 HoB Delegation Committee Q21 Sheffield Report: follow-up Q22-23 Freemasonry Q24 Transgender guidance Q25 Human Sexuality Q26 Ministry of Absolution Q27 Conversion Therapy Q28 Mission & the Scottish Episcopal Church Q29 Issues in Human Sexuality & ordinands Q30 Pastoral Advisory Group Q31 Past same sex marriage/civil partnership: advice re church weddings Q32 Welcoming Transgender People Q33 1 Welcoming Transgender People: process Q34 Transgender & Affirmation of Baptism service Q35 Welcoming Transgender people: theological resources Q36 Transgendered people & baptism registers Q37 Affirmation of Baptismal Faith & gender transition Q38 Welcoming Transgender people Q39 Bishop George Bell & Church of England Calendar Q40 Safeguarding & the General Synod Q41 Safeguarding & Bishops Q42 Safeguarding & worship leaders Q43 Safeguarding: neutral notification Q44 Safeguarding & 1-year rule in CDM cases Q45 Carlile Report: para 49 Q46 Safeguarding casework: scale Q47 Safeguarding: Elliott Review Q48 Carlile Report: next steps Q49 Carlile Report: summary & follow up Q50 Carlile Report: follow up Q51 Carlile Report: costs Q52 Carlile Report: pre-publication process Q53 Carlile Report: amendments pre-publication Q54 Carlile Report: para 155 Q55 Carlile Report: para 178 Q56 Carlile Report: corroboration of alleged abuse Q57 Carlile Report: next steps Q58 Safeguarding: process for handling alleged abuse Q59 Carlile Report: process re the Bell case Q60 QUESTIONS 61-62 SECRETARY GENERAL Church Buildings Commission Q61 Synod members’ overnight expenses Q62 QUESTIONS 63-65 NATIONAL SOCIETY COUNCIL Religious head coverings Q63 Sexuality: Valuing All God’s Children Q64 Teachers’ & pupils’ declared identity Q65 QUESTIONS 66-73 CHURCH BUILDINGS COUNCIL Churches and Cathedrals Sustainability Review Q66 Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme Q67 Faculty Jurisdiction Rules Q68 Equality Act & church buildings Q69 Diocesan Environmental Officers Q70-72 Pews and Mission Q73 2 QUESTION 74 COUNCIL FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY Anglican-Orthodox dialogue Q74 QUESTION 75 FINANCE COMMITTEE Financial impact of training clergy Q75 QUESTIONS 76-77 MINISTRY COUNCIL Selection: Statistics Q76 Clergy deployment Q77 QUESTIONS 78-80 REMUNERATION AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE COMMITTEE Data on clergy leaving ministry Q78 Clergy serving over 70 Q79 Clergy capability procedures & wellbeing Q80 QUESTIONS 81-90 MISSION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL Closure of banks & ATMs in rural areas Q81 Ending use of plastic Q82 Dementia Q83 Christians as entrepreneurs Q84 Presence and Engagement: statistics re interfaith advisers Q85 Persecution of Christians in the Middle East Q86 Released for Mission: Growing the Rural Church: update Q87 Abortion Q88 Fixed Odds Betting Terminals Q89 Lambeth Conference & environmental issues Q90 QUESTIONS 91-93 CROWN NOMINATIONS COMMISSION CNC membership Q91 Appointment of bishops Q92 CNC: list of substitutes for central members Q93 CHURCH COMMISSIONERS Mrs Susie Leafe (Truro) to ask the Church Commissioners: Q1 How much money has each diocese/cathedral received from the Church Commissioners, whether directly or through the Archbishops’ Council, each year since 2014 in: (a) Strategic Development Funding; (b) Lowest Income Communities Funding; (c) support for Ministry of bishops; (d) support for ministry of cathedrals; (e) Section 21 grants; (f) Section 23 grants? 3 Loretta Minghella to reply as First Church Estates Commissioner: A The requested information cannot be reproduced within the constraints of the Questions Notice Paper and has therefore been placed on the notice board. PENSIONS BOARD The Revd Anne Stevens (London) to ask the Chair of the Pensions Board: Q2 In November 2016 the Pensions Board announced it had reluctantly decided to close the Manormead Nursing Home by 31 March 2017. The Pensions Board has given assurances that in taking the decision it was not the intention to close Manormead Supported Housing or to sell Manormead, and that it would be seeking alternative uses for the buildings. Since March 2017 the Manormead Nursing Home has been standing empty except for the kitchen which continues to serve the residents of Manormead Supported Housing. Can the Pensions Board give General Synod some idea of what steps have been taken and what progress has been made in finding an alternative use for the Manormead Nursing Home buildings? Dr Jonathan Spencer to reply as Chair of the Pensions Board: A No steps have yet been taken to find a future use for the former nursing home building at Manormead. The Pensions Board continues to carry out essential maintenance works on the building, and ensures that it remains safe and secure. The Revd Canon Catherine Grylls (Birmingham) to ask the Chair of the Pensions Board: Q3 Following the Government’s interim response to the Law Commission report, “Pension Funds and Social Investment”, it appears likely that following a consultation on the most effective way of delivering the Law Commission’s recommendations, legislation will be introduced to allow pension funds to ’mirror members’ ethical concerns’. In the light of the Government’s response and the recent letter from a number of clergy, does the Pensions Board have any plans to respond to the government consultation and in preparation to ask its members about their ethical concerns in general and on climate change in particular? Dr Jonathan Spencer to reply as Chair of the Pensions Board: A The Pensions Board will consider responding to the Government’s formal consultation on the Law Commission’s report when it is available. We are open to the views of all our stakeholders on ethical investment issues, but we are not planning to canvas scheme members on how we should respond to that consultation. 4 ARCHBISHOPS’ COUNCIL Mr Adrian Greenwood (Southwark) to ask the Presidents of the Archbishops’ Council: Q4 What progress has been made since July 2017 with the Implementation Plan in GS 2056 “Setting God’s People Free”, approved by Synod in February 2017? Mr Mark Sheard to reply on behalf of the Presidents of the Archbishops’ Council: A Progress has been made on all 14 of the priority areas outlined in “Setting God’s People Free” [GS 2056]. Dr Nick Shepherd began as the Programme Director in Nov 2017 to coordinate implementation with colleagues in NCI’s and dioceses. The pilot diocese initiative has been expanded with 27 dioceses now included in learning communities to facilitate the strategic and practical implementation of SGPF. The first commenced in January 2018. Dr Jamie Harrison (chair of the House of Laity) and the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek (Bishop of Gloucester) have accepted roles as champions for the work of SGPF. The Faith and Order Commission have established a steering group to facilitate ‘Theological Enrichment’ which includes overlapping work on the development of lay ministry. The first of two series of supportive materials for SGPF has been published. This and further materials will be integrated into the wider work on digital resources for discipleship. The Revd Canon Priscilla White (Birmingham) to ask the Presidents of the Archbishops’ Council: Q5 To what extent is it felt that the concept of “Worshipping Community” found in the Statistics for Mission is understood in the same way in churches and parishes across the Church of England? Does this concept have a solid base from which meaningful statistical information can be gleaned? Mr Mark Sheard to reply on behalf of the Presidents of the Archbishops’ Council: A Thanks to the efforts of diocesan staff and others, understanding of the concept of the worshipping community has improved considerably since it was first included in Statistics for Mission in 2012. Since it is an inherently less precise measure than some of the others that churches are asked to provide, there are occasions when changing local interpretation leads to unrepresentatively large changes in a church’s worshipping community. Churches are able 5 and encouraged to correct erroneous historical returns where necessary to better allow them to interpret trends in their worshipping community figures. No one measure of attendance or participation is sufficient to summarise all that takes place in churches, which is why Statistics for Mission continues to cover several different measures. The Revd Canon Priscilla White (Birmingham) to ask the Presidents of the Archbishops’ Council: Q6 In the Statistics for Mission form, why is there no reference to confirmations? Mr Mark Sheard to reply on behalf of the Presidents of the Archbishops’ Council: A Information about confirmations is provided directly from Bishops’ offices.