Context
Acknowledging the support from churches, the question focuses on addressing the housing provision issue. It notes discussions about using excess estate in York and seeks to maximise the Church of England's estate.
Question
I thank the hon. Member for his answer. However, the biggest issue that we need to address is the provision of housing. Clearly the Church of England has a significant estate; I am grateful for the discussions that we are having in York about how we can use excess estate to support Afghan refugees. Will he ensure that across the Church of England, the estate is maximised so that we can home as many Afghan refugees as possible?
Answer from Andrew Selous
I can tell the hon. Lady that lowest income communities funding from the Church Commissioners helps dioceses to support parishes such as St Mary's, Scarborough, that have been at the forefront of our effort to help Afghan refugees. I can also tell her that in the diocese of Chelmsford, five vacant vicarages have been allocated to refugee households, including to Afghan refugees.
Not addressed: The answer does not provide a specific commitment to maximising the use of the Church's estate for housing Afghan refugees but instead gives examples of local initiatives.
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