§ 30. Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, what is the value of the average current stipend and emoluments of a beneficed clergyman; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonI refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Esher (Mr. Taylor) earlier today.
§ 31. Mr. John MarshallTo ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement about trends in the level of minimum stipends during the past five years.
§ Mr. AlisonThe national minimum stipend set by the commissioners as central stipends authority has increased by 54 per cent. since 1986, compared with an increase in the retail prices index of 36 per cent. Part of that increase relates to a special increase related to the introduction of the community charge, but even if that is stripped out, the relative improvement in stipends compared with the RPI is considerable. But further progress will depend very much on the giving of Church members, as more of the commissioners' income will be needed for pensions.