Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.
I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room, the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.
I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?
Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.
Twenty-nine million quid a year! 
Do read more... Clicky...
very thought provoking
She really does write some excellent stuff, her blog is one of my daily must reads even if I don't always agree with her. And in the main on this issue I do disagree. When so many of the population do have deep religious beliefs then in places of life and death it may be net beneficial to society for people to have easy access to a priest. But in schools no, no, NO!
I can't agree...
I can't see why a request for a vicar on your death bed to tell you everything is going to be okay should be paid for by other taxpayers - including those who don't believe or believe in a different system...? Surely, the vicar should be paid from the subs you have contributed every week as a regular church goer or from your estate if you are a last minute convert...?
You could have a ridiculous scenario where somebody is denied taxpayer funded life extending drugs because NICE says they are unaffordable but is provided with a tax payer funded vicar when they die because of it....
