What acreage of agricultural land is owned by the Church Commissioners.

The commissioners hold over 109,000 acres of English farmland, spread across 44 estates and over 300 farms.

The Archbishop of Canterbury wants more food to be grown locally and has attacked organisations driven solely by the desire to make money. Is it not therefore paradoxical that the Church Commissioners, which he chairs, wants to concrete over 300 acres of prime agricultural land to the west of Chalcraft lane in my constituency? When challenged, the commissioners say they want to build on that land because they are obliged to maximise the amount of money they make. If the Archbishop of Canterbury were a politician, would it not be fair to say that he says one thing but does another?

It is always pleasant when the Archbishop of Canterbury is cited in the House of Commons. I am sure that he does not wish to be a politician and I would urge him not to be one. [Hon. Members: "He is a Member."] The archbishop is a Member of the House of Commons now, is he? [Hon. Members: "He is in the Lords."] He is a Member in Parliament; I am being diverted, Mr. Speaker.

The commissioners' staff have explained to the hon. Gentleman that we have a legal duty to our beneficiaries. On this occasion, we accept that we have met some controversy in his constituency, but we have not to be distracted from our fiduciary duty. As the House is in an enlightened mood, may I cite the scriptures? In Ezekiel, it states:

"In controversy they shall stand in judgment...and they shall keep my laws and statutes."

We propose to keep the laws and statutes of Parliament that have been conferred upon the Church Commissioners.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us how much income the Church Commissioners are getting from their agricultural holdings as a result of EU subsidies? Is he pleased or angry that as a result of the devaluation of the pound those subsidies are increasing?

Order. Notwithstanding the hon. Gentleman's considerable ingenuity, he is stretching a point. He might wish to dilate on that matter on another occasion, because it is outwith the terms of this question. We will therefore move on to Question 5.