Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

People Housebound due to Disability: Church Support

Thursday 28 November 2024 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Church has started a project to support local parishes to adapt their buildings for accessibility, including standardising signage, training church leaders and staff, and offering a grant scheme for adaptations.
  • Resources include Sunday services broadcast online, British Sign Language interpretation available, a DailyHope telephone line, and the Everyday Faith app used by 3 million individuals and downloaded over 14 million times.
  • Churches together groups do a fantastic job tackling isolation and loneliness through projects supporting parishes with physical accessibility of their buildings, including church halls and other facilities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Religion & Faith
Context

The Church's initiatives aimed at supporting people who are housebound due to a disability.

Question

What steps the Church is taking to support people that are housebound due to a disability?

Answer from Marsha de Cordova

The Church has started a project to support local parishes to adapt their buildings for accessibility, including standardising signage, training church leaders and staff, and offering a grant scheme for adaptations. The Church also continues to develop worship and educational resources available nationally to people who are housebound and their carers.

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Q2 Anna Dixon Lab Shipley
Social Care Religion & Faith
Context

The archbishops' commission on reimagining care recommended that the Church of England consider developing resources and capacity to engage with disabled people and older individuals.

Question

In the report of the archbishops' commission on reimagining care, we recognise the important role of churches in supporting older and disabled people. Can my hon. Friend update the House on what action the Church is taking to fulfil that recommendation?

Answer from Marsha de Cordova

Resources include Sunday services broadcast online, British Sign Language interpretation available, DailyHope telephone line, Everyday Faith app used by 3 million individuals and downloaded over 14 million times, and the Daily Prayer app with morning and evening prayer reaching over 2.75 million unique listeners since 2021.

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Q3 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Religion & Faith
Context

Churches Together South Tyneside provides a range of services to lonely and isolated individuals through its Happy at Home hub.

Question

Churches Together South Tyneside does amazing work through its Happy at Home hub, providing a range of services to the lonely and the isolated. Will my hon. Friend expand a little more on the Church's wider pastoral duties towards those in the greatest need?

Answer from Marsha de Cordova

Churches together groups do a fantastic job tackling isolation and loneliness. There are projects supporting parishes with physical accessibility of their buildings, including church halls and other facilities. The LPW grant scheme helps deliver adaptation of historic churches at pace.

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