Lords Sitting of 1 March 1870

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Irish Church Act (1869) Amendment (23).
Report—Sunday Trading * (19); Judges Jurisdiction (20–25).

IRISH CHURCH ACT (1869) AMENDMENT BILL.

  BILL PRESENTED. FIRST READING.
  LORD REDESDALE presented a Bill to amend the Irish Church Act, 1869.
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  In doing so he thought it might be well that he should direct attention to its provisions, lest the title should excite unfounded apprehensions; whereas, in fact, this Bill had a very limited scope. One provision in the Act he thought required correction. By its provisions, as their Lordships were aware, the Church in Ireland would cease to be established on the 1st of January, 1871; but there was power to appoint to any Church preferment that might become vacant in the interval, and the Church Temporalities Commissioners were directed to pay to persons who might be appointed such portion of their salaries as they might be entitled to receive during that period. This provision clearly showed that so long as the Church remained an Establishment it was entitled to receive the amount of its income. Yet, as the Act at present stood, in the event of no persons being appointed to fill up such vacancies as occurred during the current year, the profits of the vacant benefices would not go to the Church Body, but to the General Fund. It appeared to him that this was an oversight, for it was obviously just that whatever belonged to the Church should be paid to it so long as it continued established, even although no appointments were made. In the present position of affairs, when great changes were taking place in the state of the Church, it might be undesirable to make appointments to fill tip vacancies; by this Bill it was provided that where no person was appointed to any vacant preferment the sum due in respect thereof should be paid to the Church Body. That was the simple object of the Bill, to which he did not anticipate any opposition.
  Bill read 1a; and to be printed. (No. 23.)

JUDGES' JURISDICTION BILL.—(No 20.)
(The Lord Chancellor.)
JUDGES' JURISDICTION BILL.—(No 20.)

  REPORT.
  Amendments reported (according to Order).
  THE LORD CHANCELLORsaid, it had been suggested to him by a noble and learned Friend that the consent of the Chief Judge being now required to the sitting of one of his Puisne Judges in another court, the letter requesting such assistance should be sent to the Chief Judge of the court from which assistance was required, instead of to the

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  Puisne Judge. He would accordingly propose that Clause 2 be modified in this sense.
  Amendment agreed to.
  Bill to be read 3a on Thursday next; to be printed as amended. (No. 25.)
  House adjourned at a quarter past Five o'clock, to Thursday next, half past Ten o'clock.