Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Department has received a request from the Charity Commission of England and Wales to increase its staff and budget in anticipation of any increased work by the Commission in registering over 9,000 small Church of England parish churches as individually registered charities.

The Charity Commission estimates that around 30,000 church charities across all temporarily excepted Christian denominations will need to register by 31 March 2031.

There are no current plans to further extend the deadline for registration. Other excepted charity categories, such as Scout, Girlguiding, and student union groups, operate under permanent exception arrangements.

The Department has not received a request from the Charity Commission for additional staff or budget in relation to registering excepted church charities. The Charity Commission is working directly with denominational bodies on a phased approach to voluntary registration ahead of the 2031 deadline.