HL Deb 15 May 1928 vol 71 cc3-4

THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (Provision for Unbeneficed Clergy) Measure, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent. The most rev. Primate said: My Lords, in rising to move the Motion which stands in my name on the Paper I shall not detain your Lordships for more than a moment. I do not anticipate that any one in this House is likely to raise objection to the Motion, which will merely confirm what has been done, without opposition anywhere, by Convocation, by the Church Assembly and by the House of Commons. Every one is agreed. The point is simply that some years ago powers were given under Parliamentary sanction to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to modify in some respects the rule which governs the application of their common funds to the needs of old incumbents requiring either pensions or some augmentation under special circumstances of their benefices. We have found that in practical working it is desirable to extend that power to meet the case of elderly men who are unbeneficed, men who are engaged as curates or who have been in secretarial or scholastic work, but who are entitled for every reason to be favourably and kindly considered. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners desire to have power in special cases to take action to cover the needs of such men, and as far as I am aware no one has any kind of objection to their using that power.

Moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (Provision for Unbeneficed Clergy) Measure, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.—(The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury.)

LORD MUIR MACKENZIE

My Lords, the most rev. Primate has not mentioned the fact that this is entirely approved by the Ecclesiastical Committee.

THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

I apologise for not mentioning that most important fact, which I accidentally omitted.

On Question, Motion agreed to.