My Lords, I declare an interest as a clergy spouse and a member of the Ecclesiastical Committee.

The House, and Parliament generally, is often accused of passing legislation in haste. No one can accuse the Church of England of such a shortcoming; this measure has taken seven years of gestation to reach your Lordships' House. Huge amounts of detailed, thoughtful toil have been put in to bring us to this point, and the Ecclesiastical Committee has found the measure expedient. When the right reverend Prelate talks about this being evolution rather than revolution, he has it absolutely right. I suspect that most priests toiling in the vineyard will not notice any difference in their arrangements and will not find that the many significant challenges which they and the church face are much affected by this measure. However, it is useful and expedient and we support it.