§ 30. Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)What is his estimate of the proportion of Church revenues that will be donated by congregations in 2020. [114846]
§ Mr. Stuart Bell(Second Church Estates Commissioner, representing the Church Commissioners)In 1997, congregations provided approximately 62 per cent. of the Church of England's income. It is the hope and aspiration of the Church that giving by individuals will increase and that they might, on average, give 5 per cent. of their net income by 2020.
§ Mr. FlynnDid my hon. Friend read a rather bleak forecast in a recent edition of the Church Times, which said that if current trends in the decline of congregations continued, they would reach nil by 2020? While I congratulate my hon. Friend on the great improvement in the finances of the Church under his stewardship, does he accept that a problem was created by the clergy of the Church of England opting out of the state earnings-related pension scheme, and thus not benefiting from the marvellous far-sighted initiative of a previous Labour Government that is enjoyed by retired clergy of the Church in Wales?
§ Mr. BellMy hon. Friend will be interested to know that more people attend church on a Sunday than go to football matches on a Saturday. The Church has been around for 2,000 years; I therefore surmise that it will survive the next 20.