ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION. (Hansard, 15 April 1858)

THE DUKE OF MARYBOROUGH
said, that in 1856 a Committee of the other House was appointed in consequence of its being necessary to renew the Act which had been passed in a previous year for permitting and enabling the enfranchisement of church leases, and that Committee took the opportunity of entering very fully into the subject of the constitution of the Ecclesiastical Commission. Several points of great importance came under their consideration, and, among others, as to the mode of assigning estates which should yield fixed incomes to the Bishops, as to the appointment of a third paid Commissioner as a member of the Church Estates Commission, and as to a period being fixed for the determination of subsisting leases. A Bill embodying the recommendation of the Committee was introduced by the Government last year; but when it came up to this House their Lordships thought that at such a late period, it was not possible to pass a measure of so much importance, and contented themselves with passing an Act continuing the Enfranchisement Acts for two years longer. Under these circumstances he wished to ask the noble Earl at the head of the Government the question of which he had given notice, namely—whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to proceed 1109 with the Bill introduced last Session by the late Government into the House of Commons, embodying the recommendations of the Select Committee of that House, 1856, upon the Ecclesiastical Commission.

§ THE EARL or DERBY
said, the best answer be could give to the question was by laying on the table the Bill to which the noble Duke had referred, and asking their Lordships to give it a first reading. He should have done so on Monday evening, but he thought it desirable first to obtain the assent of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and in consequence of the most reverend Prelate being out of town, he had not been able to do this until the day previous. It was precisely in the same shape as the Bill which came up to that House last Session, founded on the recommendations of the Committee of 1856. He should propose to take the second reading on Tuesday next, when he would enter into an explanation of its provisions.

§ THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH
said, that as this Bill did not contain any provision upon the important subject of Capitular Estates, he should bring forward a measure on the subject.