§ Norman BakerTo ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Church of England has contributed since 1 June 2002 towards the costs of(a) the Anglican Commission, (b) the Anglican Consultative Council and (c) the Anglican Consultative Centre in Rome. [134345]
§ Mr. BellThe Anglican Communion (not Commission) comprises 38 self-governing Anglican churches, including the Church of England. Each church is responsible for its own costs.
The member churches of the provinces of the Anglican Communion meet 85 per cent. of the Anglican Consultative Council's core budget income and the Church of England's contribution is provided by parishes via the Archbishops' Council. I understand from the Council that the current amount paid is £359,700 a year, which would amount to some £509,000 from 1 June 2002 to the present.
The Anglican Centre in Rome is financed by fundraising and is not a responsibility of the Church Commissioners. However, the Archbishop made a contribution of £2,500 from his discretionary funds in 2002.