§ 40. Mr. Litterickasked the hon. Member for Kingswood, as representing the Church Commissioners, how many officially redundant churches are presently owned by the Church; and what is their estimated aggregate book value.
§ Mr. Terry Walker (Second Church Estates Commissioner)Two hundred and twenty-four churches which have been officially declared redundant are at present in Church ownership. Of these, the future of 157 has yet to be decided while the remaining 67 await transfer to an agreed new use. In all, the future of 574 redundant churches has been resolved since 1969. Nearly half of these have been or will be converted to alternative uses; one-quarter are being preserved by the Redundant Churches Fund, a body financed by the Church and State. The remainder have been demolished.
It is impossible to value redundant churches until the method of disposal has been decided, and consequently the Commissioners cannot assess the aggregate book value of redundant churches in Church ownership. The priority is to find a suitable alternative use rather than to obtain the highest price for the building.
§ Mr. LitterickI am sure that the House will be grateful for that very informative answer, but will my hon. Friend confirm that the Church has not made any money 1142 from the disposal of redundant church buildings during the last 10 years? Secondly, are the Church Commissioners satisfied that there is close enough liaison between the Church and local authorities about putting redundant church buildings to alternative and possibly socially valuable use?
§ Mr. WalkerThe Church Commissioners derive no financial benefit from the sale of redundant churches. Two-thirds of all net proceeds of sale is made available to the diocese in which a redundant church is situated. This money can be used for building new churches and for work on existing ones, and money can be transferred to pay the stipends of the clergy and for the housing of the clergy. The remaining one-third is transferred to the Redundant Churches Fund. The total net sale proceeds dealt with in this way since the scheme started in 1969 have been £3,219,000.
§ Mr. FellWill the hon. Gentleman arrange to have a list printed of the remaining redundant churches, with their ages and their geographical position, and put it in the Library?
§ Mr. WalkerYes, we can certainly do that.
§ Mr. Arthur LathamI was impressed to note from my hon. Friend that the Church Commissioners' aim is to achieve the best use rather than the highest price. Will he have a word with his fellow Commissioners to see whether we might get similar better ethical standards applying in the private residential sector, where the top of the market seems to be the aim of the Church Commissioners?
§ Mr. WalkerThat is not the Question on the Order Paper, and I am afraid that I could not say anything at this stage.