CHURCH OF SCOTLAND (PROPERTY AND ENDOWMENTS) AMENDMENT BILL. [H.L.] (Hansard, 14 March 1933)

§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYAL

My Lords, this Bill has been introduced by the Government in response to representations by the authorities of the Church of Scotland. It involves no new principle and raises no issue of public importance. Its sole purpose is to rectify some omissions and defects in the Church of Scotland (Property and Endowments) Act of 1925. One of the principal objects of the Act of 1925 was to give to the Church of Scotland full control of its own property and endowments. In the case of the ordinary civil and ecclesiastical parish, which is known as aquoad omniaparish, this simply involved the transfer of the powers and duties of the heritors of the parish to the General Trustees of the Church, to whom the Act gave all necessary powers of control and disposal of churches and church property in those parishes. But there were numerous other classes of churches and properties which required special provisions, and it is with regard to these that in various respects the Act of 1925 has been found not to have done all that is necessary. It omitted, for example, to give to the General Trustees the same powers of disposal of property in quoad sacra parishes — that is, parishes which were erected under certain old Acts for purely ecclesiastical purposes—as these Trustees Obtained in regard to the quoad omnia parishes. These powers are dealt with in the first three clauses of the Bill.

I do not think I need explain the clauses of the Bill in detail. They are all of that character— all designed to meet small but real difficulties in the working of the Act of 1925 or to facilitate the efficient organisation of the Church's 1090 work The authorities of the Church have satisfied the Secretary of State for Scotland that these amendments are necessary and desirable, and so far as the Government is aware they raise no controversial issue. If, however, there is any point on which noble Lords wish for further information I shall be happy to give a fuller explanation, so far as it lies in my power to do so, either now or at a later stage. I beg to move.