§ Mr. Lathamasked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, whether he will make a statement on the operation of the Endowments and Glebe Measure 1976; what is the estimated level of funds which have since become available for the augmentation of clergy stipends as a result of the measure; and whether it has produced any significant amount of extra administrative staffing or extra expenses, either for the commissioners themselves or at diocesan level.
§ Sir William van StraubenzeeThe Endowments and Glebe Measure 1976 came into force on 1 April 1978. Its two main provisions were for the pooling of endowment income and the transfer of glebe into diocesan ownership. The measure did not of itself provide additional funds for the payment of the clergy but sought to enable the Church to deploy more effectively funds which were already available for stipend purposes.
Since the measure came into effect, dioceses have been seeking both to ensure that lettings of glebe are based upon proper commercial considerations and to rationalise their holdings mainly by the sale of small isolated plots and the purchase of more attractive property investments with the proceeds. Between April 1978 and December 1981, the gross income derived from glebe in the 42 mainland dioceses went up from £2.1 million per annum to £4 million per annum, an increase of 90 per cent.
The introduction of the measure has not required the commissioners to employ any extra staff or to incur any additional expenses. The commissioners do not have the detailed information to identify directly whether the measure has led to any increase in staffing or administrative expense at diocesan level, but it is reasonable to assume that, if dioceses have incurred any additional cost, this will have been more than offset both by savings in the time of and cost to incumbents in administering glebe before 1978, as well as the substantial increases in income that have been secured.