Church Commissioners written question – answered at on 1 September 2025.
Andrew Rosindell
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs)
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church commissioners, how many clergy of incumbent status have been dispossessed by diocese in each of the last five years; and how many (a) dispossession of office and (b) other schemes are being prepared.
Marsha de Cordova
The Second Church Estates Commissioner
In the period 2020-2025 there have been 11 dispossession cases under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. There are 7,340 stipendiary clergy, meaning dispossession cases represent a very small (less than 1%) proportion of overall clergy numbers.
By diocese these break down as follows:
• Portsmouth – 6 cases
• St Albans – 2 cases (plus one in process)
• Southwark – 1 case
• York – 1 case
• Leeds – 1 case
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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.
