§ Clause 1, page 1, line 14, leave out ("three") and insert ("the")
§ Clause 1, page 1, line 28, leave out ("three") and insert ("the").
§ Clause 2, page 2, line 6, after ("affected") insert ("one shall be nominated by the churchwardens (if any) of the benefice or benefices affected or by the major part of them")
§ Clause 2, line 7, after ("chairman") insert ("and shall have a casting vote in addition to his vote as a commissioner")
§
Clause 2, line 13, leave out from ("the") to the end of subsection (2) and insert ("patrols or patrons of the other benefice or benefices affected.
(3) Provided also that if the bishop of the diocese in which each of the benefices or sinecures affected is situate shall be the sole patron of that benefice or sinecure there shall be no commissioner nominated by the patrons")
§ Clause 2, line 19, after ("patrons") insert ("or the churchwardens or the major part of them")
§ Clause 2, line 20, leave out from ("shall") to the end of the clause and insert ("lapse, and the commission shall be issued and shall be valid for all purposes notwithstanding any such lapse").
§ Clause 4, page 3, lines 23 and 24, leave out ("or a majority of the Commissioners")
§ Clause 4, page 3, line 24, after ("shall") insert ("unanimously or by a majority of votes").
§ Clause 4, page 5, leave out clause 9.
§ Clause 13, page 6, line 34, leave out ("three").
§ Clause 15, page 7, line 30, leave out ("what services (if any) shall") and insert ("that services shall or shall not").
§ Clause 21, page 9, line 17, leave out ("and shall extend to the Channel Islands")
§
Clause 15, page 9 line 20, after subsection (2) insert the following new subsection:
("(3) No Commission shall be issued under this Act after the thirty-first day of December nineteen hundred and twenty-one").
THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICHMy Lords, I ask your Lordships to agree to the Amendments made by the House of Commons to this Bill. At this late hour of the session I think you would prefer me to say as little as possible, and I do not wish to detain the House, though I would be prepared to speak again if there is any noble Lord who takes a contrary view in regard to the Amendments as a whole, or to one or other of them, and to explain any questions involved in greater detail. I may say that in my own opinion the Amendments do not spoil the principle of the Bill. In one or two cases they improve it, and cut away the ground of some criticisms that have been, or might be, levelled against it. Many of the Amendments are of an entirely consequential character. I hope I may not be called upon to speak again, and I take this opportunity of expressing a word of very grateful appreciation to the noble and learned Lord upon the Woolsack, who has done great things in facilitating the progress of this small but really important Bill. There is nothing grand about it, but, both directly and indirectly, it will strengthen the work of the Church.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendments.—(The Lord Bishop of Norwich.)
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, before I put the Question I should like to thank the right rev. Prelate for what he has been good enough to say about the small efforts I have made. I think the House will desire to congratulate the right rev. Prelate on the successful issue of what owing to a very great deal of industry and perseverence on his own part, is an extremely useful measure. When the debates on the Enabling Bill were in progress the most rev. Prelate the Archbishop of York instanced the Union of Benefices Bill as an illustration of the disability under which the Church lay of obtaining the passage of any legislation without the Enabling Bill. I ventured to say then that the ultimate Parliamentary career of this Bill would 536 make it necessary to withdraw one argument at least in favour of that Bill.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.