Oral Answers to Questions

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Thursday 25th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Rehman Chishti. Where is the fellow? He is not here—oh dear, oh dear. Never mind. All is well with the world; the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) is here.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

T5. Will the Minister come and see what we can do to restore the Avon water meadows?

[Dr Coffey]

I was in Hampshire recently, visiting six different constituencies, and I would be delighted to return to the wonderful New Forest in due course to look at the matter.

--- Later in debate ---

The right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

4. To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent assessment the Church of England has made of trends in the number of its religious vocations.

[The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Dame Caroline Spelman)]

I know that my right hon. Friend has a great interest in this subject because he asked me about the training of ordinands in April last year. I am pleased to be able to tell the House that an additional 44 candidates have presented for training as ordained ministers, making a total of 544 in training. That means that we are well on our way to our target of 750 a year by 2020.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

As so many clerks retire, what will be the future age profile of my right hon. Friend’s holy orders?

[Dame Caroline Spelman]

Like a lot of institutions, we face the prospect of large numbers of older clergy retiring at the same time as a result of previous pushes to increase the number of people being ordained and entering ministry. I am delighted to say, however, that the number of younger ordinands in the under-32 age group rose by nearly two fifths and now accounts for almost a third of the total.