Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Family Relationships, Parenting and Marriage

Thursday 9 March 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Church of England will support marriages and family relationships committed to mutual flourishing.
  • The 2021 census shows that lone renters are less financially secure and less happy than those in marriages.
  • The Church of England Children's Society supported Bob Holman in establishing family centres 50 years ago.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nicholas Fletcher
Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

The Church of England is being asked about its role in supporting families.

Question

What steps the Church of England is taking to help support family relationships, parenting and marriage.

Answer from Andrew Selous

The Church will always support marriages and family relationships that are committed to mutual flourishing —Jesus's first miracle was, after all, at a wedding in Cana in Galilee. The Archbishops' commission to strengthen families and households will report next month.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or steps taken by the Church of England were not detailed

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Q2 Nicholas Fletcher
Context

The question arises from statistics indicating that people living alone are less financially secure, happier, and have higher anxiety levels. Additionally, it notes the trend in lone-parent households.

Question

The 2021 census has shown that people living on their own are more likely to be renting, less financially secure, have lower levels of happiness and higher levels of anxiety. Some 60% of people living alone are men. Marriage is a sacred bond between man and woman. Does my hon. Friend agree that we should promote marriage at every opportunity and bring back tax allowances to suit?

Answer from Andrew Selous

My hon. Friend is right to look at all the measures that can support marriage, given that in the UK 23% of households are lone-parent households, compared with, say, 13% in the Netherlands. He is also correct that there is a lower burden of family taxation in France, Germany and the USA. There will be a range of measures to support marriage in the Archbishop's proposals next month, which I hope my hon. Friend will support when they are published.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific tax allowances were not addressed

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Context

The question comes from a long-term commitment to the sanctity of marriage, with examples provided.

Question

Can I say how very pleased I am to hear that answer from the hon. Gentleman? I am one who believes very much in the sanctity and importance of marriage. I have been married for 35 years to a long-suffering wife, Sandra. My mum and dad were married for 60 years, and Sandra's mum and dad were married for 60 years, so we believe in marriage and its importance, as do others in this Chamber. What is the hon. Gentleman able to do to ensure that those having difficulties in marriage can have Relate discussions to ensure that their marriage can last for all their lives?

Answer from Andrew Selous

I am grateful to my friend the hon. Gentleman for raising that point. It is certainly my hope that churches across the country will be involved in the best possible marriage preparation, but also marriage support, because all of us get into bad habits, including the hon. Gentleman and me, and need little pointers and reminders from time to time.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific involvement of churches with Relate was not detailed

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Q4 Peter Bottomley Con
Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

The question refers to historical contributions by the Church of England Children's Society and seeks recognition of current efforts in supporting families.

Question

I am not sure this is the right place to advertise virtue or claim vice. Can I put it to my hon. Friend that the Church of England Children's Society 50 years ago supported the social entrepreneur Bob Holman in establishing family centres? Can we praise the Church and all its parishes for the way they help to support the confidence and competence of parents, who often go through difficult situations?

Answer from Andrew Selious

I am grateful to the Father of the House for reminding us of that important fact and of what the Church has done in the past, and I hope he will be equally supportive of what our right hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andrea Leadsom) is doing with her fantastic initiative on family hubs. That is an important continuation of that early work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Recognition and support from the Church were not fully addressed

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