§ 42. Mr. CorbynTo ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission to ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the expenditure on the Church Commission on Poverty. [20238]
§ Mr. Stuart BellThe primary responsibility of the Church Commissioners is to provide support for the ministry of the Church of England, particularly in areas of need and opportunity. Over £14 million per annum is targeted on the needier dioceses to assist with the cost of stipends and clergy housing, on a selective basis which takes account of social and economic deprivation. The Commissioners also assist with the staffing and administrative costs of the Church Urban Fund which assists community based projects in some of the poorest areas of England's inner cities and outer estates.