HL Deb 24 February 1976 vol 368 cc623-5
Lord MERTHYR

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date it is intended to bring into force the Easter Act 1928.

The MINISTER of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)

My Lords, it remains the postion that the Government do not think it right to bring the Act into force until the full concurrence of the Churches has been obtained. We continue to hope that agreement will be reached, and the Government would be ready to do what they could to help bring this about.

Lord MERTHYR

My Lords, in view of the fact that this Act cannot now come into full operation until the end of next year, would it not be a good idea to celebrate the golden jubilee of the passing of the Act by bringing it into force now?

Lord HARRIS of GREENWICH

My Lords, that is certainly a most attractive suggestion and I will communicate it to my right honourable friend; but it would be only frank of me to say that the present Government, like their predecessors, take the view that there should be wide agreement between the Churches before we move in this matter.

The Lord BISHOP of ROCHESTER

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he realises that some of us who look forward immensely to Lord Merthyr's annual question on this subject are beginning to wonder whether, a country that took the initiative in this matter might not, now that there is such widespread agreement among the Christian Churches, take a view that they will announce their intention to bring this Act into force unless a responsible Christian body can prove objections to the contrary?

Lord HARRIS of GREENWICH

My Lords, I will draw my right honourable friend's attention to what the right reverend Prelate has said.

Baroness WOOTTON of ABINGER

My Lords, can my noble friend explain what is the purpose of passing legislation in Parliament if it may remain inoperative at the whim of successive Governments until it celebrates its golden jubilee; and, furthermore, why there are others not quite so ancient?

Lord HARRIS of GREENWICH

My Lords, I feared for a moment that my noble friend was going to ask a question about the Firearms Act. The particular point concerning the Easter Act situation was that the Act can be brought into operation only by an Order in Council, which would have to be approved by both Houses of Parliament, and in 1928 it was provided that regard should be had to any opinion officially expressed by a Church or other Christian body before this could be done.

Lord BYERS

My Lords, is it too much to hope that a good deal of the Government legislation could be inoperative over the next few months?