Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Family Relationships, Parenting and Marriage

Thursday 20 July 2023 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Church of England's "Love Matters" commission made 36 recommendations for the Church and 29 for the Government to support family relationships, parenting, and marriage.
  • The Children's Commissioner noted that nearly a quarter of UK families are led by a single parent, which is higher than the European average of one in eight.
  • Bishop of Durham, who co-led the commission, aims to ensure every deanery provides relationship support and guidance to families in need.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Scott Benton
Religion & Faith
Context

The question arises from the need to understand how the Church of England is supporting family relationships, parenting and marriage.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent steps the Church of England has taken to help support family relationships, parenting and marriage.

Answer from Andrew Selous

The Archbishop's recent “Love Matters” commission on family issues made 36 recommendations for the Church of England and 29 for the Government. They included supporting family hubs, developing high-quality marriage preparation, and building relational capability at all life stages and not just for couples who are preparing for marriage. I will place a copy of that report and the previous ones in the Library.

Answered
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Q2 Scott Benton
Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

The question focuses on the steps taken by the Church of England to provide support and guidance for families in need, with emphasis on stability and unity.

Question

A strong and stable family unit undoubtedly provides the best environment in which to raise children. What steps is the Church of England taking to provide relationship support and guidance to those families who need it to help them to stay together?

Answer from Andrew Selous

That is a really important question. The Children's Commissioner has pointed out that almost a quarter of UK families are headed by a lone parent; that compares with an average of an eighth of families in Europe. The Bishop of Durham, who co-chaired the commission, wants to see every deanery in the Church of England offering the very best marriage preparation to all couples, and for the Church to support their relationships at every life stage.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide concrete steps or commitments from the Church of England beyond mentioning a commission's recommendations.

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