Oral Answers to Questions

Kevin Foster Excerpts

Thursday 15th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Selous]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, sadly the Church of England does not have any jurisdiction in Northern Ireland, but we are a generous-hearted church and we will share everything we are doing across England with churches in Northern Ireland. I am sure the scheme could easily be copied there.

[Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con)]

2. What recent assessment the Church of England has made of the potential merits of recruiting additional ordained ministers into parish ministry in the diocese of Exeter.

[Andrew Selous]

I am delighted to tell my hon. Friend that, with financial assistance from the Church Commissioners, the Diocese of Exeter has increased the number of new curates to tell more people the good news about Jesus. On 1 July it will ordain 18 new ministers, 11 of whom are stipendiary and seven are self-supporting.

[Kevin Foster]

My hon. Friend will be aware that some of the diocese of Exeter’s most challenged parishes are in the Torbay deanery, where an ordained minister can not only bring people into Christ’s flock but be a lynchpin for wider community work. Has the Church of England looked at the situation of deprived communities in Torquay and Paignton to see where an additional ordained minister may be able to bring real value to those communities?

[Andrew Selous]

I am very pleased to be able to tell my hon. Friend that Ordinand Kenny Wickens is soon to be the curate at Our Lady and All Saints, Torquay. I would also like to pass on my thanks to two inspirational priests in my hon. Friend’s constituency, the Reverend Sam Leach from Saint Mags church in Torquay and the Reverend Matt Bray from the Bay Church in Paignton, for the work they do in running the Living Room café, and groups for children and young people across the Torbay constituency.