HC Deb 17 April 1902 vol 106 cc535-6
MR. HUMPHREYS-OWENS () Montgomeryshire

I beg to ask the hon. Member for West Salford, as Church Estates Commissioner, whether he will grant the Returns relating to the Established Church of England and Wales, notices for which stand on today's Paper, †

† The following are the Returns referred to:—"Return showing the number of Livings in the Established Church of England and Wales of which (a) the Population exceeds 10,000 and the annual net income, as defined by The Incumbents' Resignation Act, 1887. section 5, exceeds £1,000; (b) the Population exceeds 8,000, but not 10,000, and the annual net income exceeds £800; (c) the Population exceeds 7,000, but not 8,000, and the annual net income exceeds £700; (d) the Population exceeds 6,000, but not 7,000, and the annual net income exceeds £600; (e) the Population exceeds 5,000, but not 6,000, and the annual net income exceeds £500; (f) the Population is 5,000, or less, and the annual net income exceeds £400; and, approximately, the total annual excess of such incomes over the scale named."

MR. LEES KNOWLES (Salford, W.)

This Question is one which should not be addressed, in the first instance, to the Ecclesiastical Commission, but to the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The Church Property Re-turn of 1887 cost £4,000, and took four years to prepare, and a substantial part of the cost was provided by the Home Office. The information sought is not in the possession of the Commission, and the Commissioners have not the means of obtaining it on the lines suggested in the Question. The hon. Member can find much of the information which he desires to obtain, in such publications as "Crockford," "The Clergy List." and "The Official Year-Book of the Church of England." I am unwilling to move the Commissioners to incur the large expense of preparing these Returns, which would throw great labour upon an already fully-employed staff.

MR. HUMPHREYS-OWEN

May I ask how far the Ecclesiastical Commissioners consider that the information contained in the suggested publications can be treated as official?

MR. LEES KNOWLES

They cannot be relied on entirely, as they are not the Returns of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.