§ LORD REDESDALEpresented a Bill to amend the Irish Church Act, 1869. 992 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.)