NEW DIOCESES (TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS) MEASURE, 1927. (Hansard, 17 November 1927)

§ Major KINDERSLEY

I beg to move, That, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the New Dioceses (Transitional Provisions) Measure, 1927, be presented to His Majesty for Royal Assent. I may state at once that there are no Papistical plots behind this Measure; it is purely one of machinery. The position is that certain difficulties arise when new dioceses are created with regard to the machinery relating to the Diocesan Conferences. I can best illustrate the difficulties by referring to the division of the Winchester Diocese into three new dioceses. Under the constitution of the Church Assembly an election can only be held once every five years, and as the last election was held in 1925 there cannot be another until 1930. Meanwhile it is necessary to make provision for the Diocesan Conferences and representation therein between 1925 and 1930. This Measure is designed to do that. I do not think the House will want me to go into any further details and I would ask them to give it their approval, inasmuch as the Ecclesiastical Committee of the House are of opinion the Measure should proceed.