To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what formula each diocese uses for calculating parish share. (301363)

The Commissioners do not collect individual dioceses’ parish share formulae. However, I will shortly place in the Library a document entitled “Parish Share Systems by Diocese” which summarises dioceses’ approach to the calculation and allocation of parish share. More detailed information would have to be obtained from each diocese.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners with reference to the answer of 15 October 2009, Official Report, column 996W, on the Church of England: finance, how the number of church members is calculated; what the average parish share per church member in each (a) parochial church council (PCC) area and (b) diocese is; what the parish share in each PCC in England in 2009 was; what revenue each diocese received (i) in total and (ii) per Church member from the (A) parish share and (B) other sources in the last 12 months; and how much each diocese spent in that period. (301531)

Church membership is estimated as an average of electoral roll, average Sunday attendance and average weekly attendance numbers.

Parish share per church ‘member’ requested in each diocese was given in my answer of 15 October 2009, Official Report, columns 995-96W. Parish share and other income per church ‘member’ received in each diocese in 2007 (the latest year for which such figures are available), using figures from diocesan accounts, is shown in the table.

The Commissioners do not collect the other information requested by the hon. Gentleman.