ORGANISED RELIGIONS (Hansard, 13 December 1979)

§ Q3. Mr. Stoddart
asked the Prime Minister if she intends to meet representatives of organised religions.

§ The Prime Minister
I have already met representatives of a number of denominations, and hope to continue to do so.

§ Mr. Stoddart
In that case, the right hon. Lady will be aware that the Churches are extremely worried about the damage that education cuts will cause to children and their futures, and that Roman Catholics are fearful about the closures of their schools as the result of transport cuts provided for in the Education (No. 2) Bill.
Will the Prime Minister, as an act of Christian charity, instruct that no further progress should take place on that Bill? Is she aware that praising the Lord on Sunday and clobbering his little children during the rest of the week is no good?

§ The Prime Minister
I am aware of the representations on this matter. Local authorities often give priority to the transport needs of Roman Catholic children in particular, sending them to schools well outside the 3-mile statutory limit. That depends not upon any legal provision but on the policy decisions of the local authority. I have no reason to think that they will be any less generous now. Church schools were part of the 1944 Act religious settlement, and I think that they are extremely good schools.

§ Mr. Latham
Will my right on. Friend confirm that she recently met the leaders of the British Council of Churches, who, as I know from experience, are not tremendous supporters of the Conservative Party, that she had a very good meeting and that she twice asked them to come again?

§ The Prime Minister
I have met a number of religious leaders and today is 1533 the first time that I have heard anyone suggest that Christianity is confined to one party. I refer not to my hon. Friend the Member for Melton (Mr. Latham) but to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Stoddart).

§ Mr. Maxton
In view of reports that schools in deprived areas of Glasgow are having to ask schools in better parts of the city for clothing for their children, will the Prime Minister consult the Churches on how they are to take up again their nineteenth century role of giving charity to the poor, in order to make up for the deprivation that will result from the Government's economic policies?

§ The Prime Minister
It seems that we are having a theological session. To me, Christianity and theology depend not so much on collective action, as on what individuals are prepared to do themselves.

§ Mr. Stoddart
That is not what Christ said.

§ Mr. Alan Clark
Has my right hon. Friend noticed the tendency of the British Council of Churches to make off-the-cuff remarks about such highly secular topics as the entry of fiances and the siting of nuclear missiles? Does she agree that the historic duties of members of the Christian priesthood are to devote themselves to the redemption of the soul and not to seek to determine the date on which such pleasures may fall due?

§ The Prime Minister
I shall have to offer this quarter of an hour to the noble Lord the Archbishop of Canterbury. He could probably answer the questions better than I. I am aware that some of the Churches' resolutions have hit out at nuclear weapons and various other things, but I hope that many of them will remember that those weapons are designed to protect freedom of speech and freedom of religious worship in this country.