What representations he has received regarding the level of quota set for each parochial church council [1448091

The Church commissioners have not received representations regarding the level of quota set for each parochial church council. It is for each diocese of the Church of England to determine quota levels, in consultation with its parishes.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that answer, but he will be aware that many parochial church councils are having difficulty meeting their quotas owing to declining congregations. That causes the diocese a problem because it has to pay the stipends of the clergy. In view of the fact that the St. Albans diocese recently could not pay its monthly outgoings from its income and had to resort to its capital, what is the Church Commission doing to cuts its costs centrally to help dioceses in such dire circumstances?

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving prior notice of that question. I regret that the St. Albans diocese has had to dig into its capital to pay for its outgoings. As for the Church Commission, its total costs in 1999 were £10 million, compared with £9.6 million in 1998. Over the past few years, it has reduced its total costs by 30 per cent. I hope that I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that we are doing our best to reduce our costs, although I regret what happened in St. Albans.