CHURCH COMMISSIONERS MEASURE (Hansard, 28 July 1964)

THE LORD BISHOP OF LONDON

My Lords, I beg leave to move the Motion which stands in my name; That this House do direct that, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, the Church Commissioners Measure be presented to Her Majesty for the Royal Assent. I hope that this is a non-controversial measure not likely to arouse the heat which a previous Measure caused. Its purpose is solely to increase the efficiency of the work of the Church Commissioners.

Since they came into being in 1947, through the fusion of Queen Anne Bounty and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, their work has increased greatly. As a result, the Church of England, and particularly the clergy, are deeply indebted to the Church Commissioners for maintaining the level of clerical stipends in spite of the rise in the cost of living. But the very expansion of the work and the additional burdens made it reasonable to examine the machinery, and a Committee was set up under the chairmanship of Lord Monckton of Brenchley. That Committee's Report was considered by the Church Assembly which gave general approval, and directed that a measure should be prepared to deal with the recommendations. That measure was generally approved in the Snrinq Session of this year and passed both stages of revision and full approval in June of this year. In all stages the Measure was passed without any division.

Many of the recommendations of the Committee could be implemented by action on the part of the Board of Governors, and this has already been done. They were mainly concerned with the revision of the committee structure. Under the Board there are now two main Committees—the Estates and Finance Committee and the Administrative Committee—which have dealt with a wide variety of subjects. The Monckton Committee recommended that there should be four Committees instead: a Pastoral Committee, a Houses Committee, an Assets Committee and a General Purposes Committee—the last two taking the place of the Statutory Estates and Finance Committee. It is with these 1080 two Committees that this measure is primarily concerned, and their duties are set out in the Measure.

It should be noted that the Assets Committee would have an exclusive power in the name of the Commissioners to manage the assets and to recommend to the Board what sums are available for application or distribution. The General Purposes Committee would then advise the Board how to apply or distribute such sums as the Board, on the advice of the Assets Committee, should determine to be available.

The burden of work falling on the three Church Estates Commissioners has become so great that the opportunity was taken in the measure to propose a lightening of their duties. The First Estates Commissioner will be Chairman of the General Purposes and Assets Committees; the Third Estates Commissioner will be Chairman of the Pastoral and Houses Committees. All three Estates Commissioners will be on the General Purposes Committee and all will receive the papers of all the Committees. The Second Church Estates Commissioner, on whom perhaps the burden falls heaviest because of his duties in another place, will be entitled to attend and speak at meetings of every Committee of which he is not a member, so that he will be in touch with all the affairs of the Commissioners.

Clause 3 of the measure deals with the pension of a widow of the First and Third Church Estates Commissioner dying in office. Under the existing law, no pension could be paid in such circumstances, and this disability will be removed by this clause. It is generally agreed by the whole body of the Commissioners and by the Church Assembly that this measure will assist greatly the efficient working of the Church Commissioners. I trust that its provisions will commend themselves to your Lordships' House, and I beg to move.