§ Mr. BakerTo ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what percentage of the Church Commissioners'(a) total and (b) discretionary expenditure was spent on bishops' emoluments, in each year from 1979 to date. [129657]
§ Mr. Stuart BellThe costs of bishops' stipends, administrative support (including staff salaries) and (for diocesan bishops) housing are met by the Commissioners. While the level of that support varies between individuals according to their particular resource needs arising, inter alia, from the nature of their ministry, we none the less meet those needs in full, subject to our guidelines and budgetary procedures. It is therefore not possible to isolate a discretionary element in our provision.
368WOur spending on bishops expressed as a proportion of the Commissioners' total expenditure for the years 1979–99 is:
Year Proportion percentage 1979 5.9 1980 5.8 1981 6.5 1982 6.6 1983 6.6 1984 6.1 1985 6.0 1986 6.2 1987 5.9 1988 5.8 1989 5.8 1990 6.2 1991 6.8 1992 7.2 1993 7.4 1994 7.9 1995 8.7 1996 9.3 1997 10.2 1998 9.3 1999 9.5 From 1990 the Commissioners took on full funding responsibility for suffragan bishops' working costs. The rising proportion during the years in question also partly arises from factors such as developments in IT.
The expenditure of the Church of England as a whole was £760 million in 1999; the Commissioners' spending represented 2 per cent. of that sum.