§ 21. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)If he will make a statement on the policy of the Commissioners concerning the provision of drivers for use by bishops. [166163]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. David Lammy)I have been asked to reply.
18 The Church Commissioners continue to fund drivers for bishops when there is a need. This helps to ensure the best use of a bishop's energy and time, on which many calls are made.
§ Michael FabricantI am grateful for that reply and it makes sound sense to me. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in dioceses such as Lichfield, for example, hundreds of square miles need to be covered, reaching right up to the Welsh border? Will he resist those envious voices who say that bishops should not be provided with drivers? Perhaps before they lose their drivers, Ministers, who just use their cars to drive from one end of Whitehall to Parliament—I am not, of course, referring to the hon. Gentleman—should lose their drivers first.
§ Mr. LammyThe hon. Gentleman is right that bishops' commitments are many and varied, and they often work from early in the morning until late at night. By definition, they work seven days a week. The Lichfield diocese is large, and I am sure that when the commissioners look at the bishop's circumstances they will bear that in mind.