– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 18 February 1964.
Mr John Arbuthnot
, Dover
I beg to move,
That the Incumbents and Churchwardens (Trusts) Measure 1964, passed by the National Assembly of the Church of England, be presented to Her Ma testy for Her Royal Assent in the form in which the said Measure was laid before Parliament.
This is rather complicated legal business. I t met with some Opposition in the Church Assembly, largely, I think, because members did not fully understand it.
Its effect is to place the capital assets of these trusts in the hands of the diosean authorities, a permanent body having perpetual succession, and thus to safeguard them. At the same time, incumbents and chuchwardens will have exactly the same responsibilities for management as they have always had. The only difference is that for major transactions they will require the consent of the diocesan authorities.
A further advantage of this Measure is that, under it, it will be possible to apply for exception of these trusts from registration under the Charities Act, thus saving incumbents and churchwardens considerable labour and expense. The Measure has been drafted and dealt with throughout in close consultation with the Charity Commissioners. It applies only to ecclesiastical trusts, and not to we fare trusts, which are also frequently held by incumbents and churchwardens.
The Measure has been recommended by the Ecclesiastical Committee of both Houses as expedient and that it should proceed.
The Ecclesiastical Committee is a parliamentary committee established by an Act of Parliament in 1919 to consider measures passed by the General Synod of the Church of England.
The committee is appointed for the duration of a Parliament and consists of 15 members drawn from the House of Commons and the House of Lords who are nominated by the Speaker and lord chancellor respectively.
An example of an issue which was considered in recent years by the Ecclesiastical Committee is the proposal from the Church of England that it should be allowed to appoint women priests.
Matters concerning the Established Church of England are dealt with at Question Time by a parliamentary representative of the Church Commissioners.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
