§ 35. Mr. LoughtonTo ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what measures are being taken by the Church of England to tackle shortages in recruitment of clergy. [141908]
§ Mr. Stuart BellI understand from the Archbishops' Council, whose responsibility these matters are, that although the total number of stipendiary clergy in the Church of England is projected to decline on present trends, the number of new people coming forward for ordination training has risen over the last five years. It is equally encouraging that the number of non-stipendiary priests and Readers continues to grow.