Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Church Commissioners – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 19 January 2017.
Caroline Spelman
The Second Church Estates Commissioner, The Second Church Estates Commissioner
12:00,
19 January 2017
I have not had any specific conversations with the army charities, but the hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We have seen from the work of my hon. Friend Bob Blackman, whose Bill is focused on homelessness, that there is a worrying nexus or correlation in relation to veterans leaving the Army and sometimes ending up homeless or getting caught up in a life of crime. All institutions, including the Church of England, need to work together to stop that happening.
Matters concerning the established Church of England are dealt with at Question Time by a parliamentary representative of the church commissioners.
The church commissioner's role is to answer any parliamentary questions relating to the Church of England in the same way that a government minister may face questions about a particular government department.
The Second Church Estates Commissioner is appointed by the crown and is traditionally a backbench member of the party in government. The appointment lasts for the duration of the Parliament.
