Staff (Hansard, 10 February 1986)

§ 25. Mr. Greenway
asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, how many staff are paid, fully or in part, by the Church 632 Commissioners, to work in the service of diocesan bishops, at what cost and in what capacities; and if he will make a statement.

§ The Second Church Estates Commissioner, representing Church Commissioners (Sir William van Straubenzee)
There are 177 full-time or part-time staff working in the service of diocesan bishops. They include 21 chaplains, 88 secretaries and 68 chaffeurs, handymen and gardeners. The cost to the commissioners is £893,000 per annum.

§ Mr. Greenway
Has my hon. Friend ever had a ride in a bishop's car? When do bishops have chauffeurs and when do they not? Secondly, what do the handymen do that the bishops cannot do? Thirdly, why was £10,000 spent on research into the political attitude of the vicars and other clergy?

§ Sir William van Straubenzee
For the average diocesan bishop, the staff is one part-time chaplain, two full-time secretaries, one part-time chauffeur and one part-time gardener-handyman. I have no doubt that the bishops are more than capable of doing the work for themselves, possibly with the exception of secretarial work. However, the support that they need to fulfil their wider diocesan work must result in their being backed up adequately, and that is the reason for the expenditure.

§ Mr. Stokes
Is my hon. Friend aware that it is necessary for bishops to have a proper advisory secretarial staff so that, when they speak on public affairs, their remarks are well-informed? Does my hon. Friend agree that they have a right so to speak, whether or not we agree with what they say?

§ Sir William van Straubenzee
I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. It must be remembered that some of the bishops have very long distances to travel to the ends of their dioceses, and many of the senior bishops have duties to perform outside their dioceses.
I must apologise to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) for not replying to his question about £10,000 being spent on research. The money for the survey to which he referred was not provided by the Church Commissioners, and I am not, therefore, answerable for it to the House. The survey embraced a number of social and other attitudes, and the results were helpful in the compiling of a report.

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
Does the hon. Gentleman not get tired of veiled attacks on the Church by his hon. Friends?

§ Sir William van Straubenzee
I do not think that they are attacks. Sometimes questions come from pleasant hon. Friends who just wish to put an edge on the courtesies that they would like to extend to me.

§ Mr. Winnick
Did the Church Commissioners or the bishops have any comments to make on the remarks of the hon. Member for Halesowen and Stourbridge (Mr. Stokes), who said about the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman's supplementary question does not seem to be much related to bishops' staffs.

§ Mr. Winnick
I am coming to that, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Gentleman said that the former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry should be replaced by a red-blooded Englishman. Do such—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. That has nothing to do with the question.