Agricultural Land Holdings

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Church Commissioners – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 7 May 2009.

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Photo of Stuart Bell Stuart Bell Second Church Estates Commissioner 10:30, 7 May 2009

I am grateful for your protection, Mr. Speaker; that was a statement, not a question. The hon. Gentleman will be aware of the fact that the commissioners have gone to great lengths to meet and talk to him. He met the secretary, for example, and also representatives of our department that deals with agriculture. The commissioners are always happy to meet Members of Parliament and to discuss issues with them, recognising that they have constituency interests, so it is perfectly proper for the hon. Gentleman to raise this matter. I should add, however, that the commissioners have a legal and moral obligation to their beneficiaries. They aim to hold financial and ethical issues together and I, for one, think that they manage that balance rather well, but they are certainly not willing to ignore their fiduciary duty to obtain the best possible long-term return from their assets, even in the face of the occasional protest.