As Humanists UK campaign against the involvement of religious organisations in the running of state schools, they say this money from the Catholic church "represents inappropriate influence."
Damian Hinds, the Conservative MP for East Hampshire, supports the removal of the 50% cap on religious selection at Catholic schools, meaning he would be happy if they limited the number of non-religious pupils in favour of children from Catholic backgrounds.
Hinds' support of Catholic schools is documented in a speech in April 2014 where he says: "If they [Catholic schools] were open to all, they would lose their distinctive character-not immediately, but over time" and "a half-Catholic school is not the same thing as a Catholic school".
Humanists UK show that the Freedom of Information website Theyworkforyou.com reveals that Damian Hinds received: "an educational allowance of £5,116.25 and accommodation provided for an intern in my parliamentary office for 10 months" in October 2014.
The group add that Hinds is not the only one receiving money from the Catholic Bishops' Conference, they claim Labour and the Liberal Democrats were also donated money in return for interns in their offices.
They say: "In the months prior to becoming Labour's Shadow Schools Minister in October 2016, Mike Kane was gifted £5,218.55 by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, also to cover the costs of a parliamentary intern for 10 months."
They added that Lib Dem's John Pugh, their former Education Spokesperson, was also gifted £4000.
