News story

30th January 2002

Local MP selected by Speaker to serve on new Parliamentary Committee

Northavon MP Steve Webb has been appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons to serve on Parliament’s Ecclesiastical Committee which oversees decisions by the General Synod of the Church of England. The Committee is a joint body made up of MPs and peers of all parties. In the past, the Committee has had to consider controversial subjects such as the ordination of women to the priesthood. Other members of the committee include Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes, former Labour minister, Frank Field, veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, Stroud MP David Drew and former Conservative minister John Gummer.

Commenting on the appointment, Steve Webb, whose wife is herself an ordained Anglican minister, said:

“I am honoured to be asked by the Speaker to serve on this all party committee. For as long as Parliament continues to have a role in the affairs of the Church of England it is a privilege to be selected as one of the small number of parliamentarians who have been entrusted with that role. As a member of the Church of England myself, I look forward to playing a positive and constructive part in the work of the committee”.

**ENDS**