§ THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (Provision for Unbeneficed Clergy) Measure, 1928 (Amendment) Measure, 1931, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent. The most rev. Primate said: My Lords, this minute Measure, which I will ask you to allow to go through to-day for the Royal Assent, will not make one minute's demand upon your patience. Indeed, the only criticism is that it is so minute. It deals with a very deserving class of men. In 1928 a Measure was passed and received the Royal Assent, giving the Ecclesiastical Commissioners power, out of their common fund, to make grants to unbeneficed clergy. Hitherto, they have been restricted to dealing with beneficed clergy only. It was provided that the unbeneficed clergy, among other things, must be curates, or performing regular ecclesiastical duties, in some parish. It was discovered that an estimable class had been left out—that, namely, of whole time chaplains of religious institutions, such as communities, schools and the like. It was felt wrong they should be excluded, and this Measure enables the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to include among the unbeneficed clergy though they are not curates or assisting in a particular parish, these whole-time chaplains of these institutions. Lest there should be any difficulty, it is provided that these institutions depend upon being prescribed, defined and selected by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners themselves. I beg to move.
§ Moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (Provision for Unbeneficed Clergy) Measure, 1928 (Amendment) Measure, 1931, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.—(The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury.)