§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will ask the Church Commissioners to benchmark the employment rights of UK clergy in comparison to those in other EU countries. [85515]
§ Mr. BellThis would be a matter for the Archbishops' Council's Ministry Division. The Council has no plans to do so. Such a benchmarking exercise would be difficult to devise in view of the very wide range of employment rights applicable to clergy in other EU countries. Some clergy have little formal protection while others are employed on the equivalent of civil service terms.