🙏 Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [Lords]

• The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill aims to extend the provisions of the 2015 Act by an additional five years, until 2030.
• This Bill ensures that when a vacancy occurs among the Lords Spiritual, it is filled by the most senior eligible female bishop, if one is available, before a male bishop.
• The extension was requested by the Church of England, which itself allowed women to be ordained as bishops in 2014.
• The Bill received broad cross-party support and no amendments were proposed, reflecting its unopposed nature.
• Since the 2015 Act, six female bishops have taken their seats earlier than they would have without the legislation.
• The Government plans to review the situation after the five-year extension to decide on any further extensions.
• The Bill passed efficiently through its Committee stage and Third Reading, and was commended for continuing the positive effects of the original Act.
• The legislation is seen as a step towards addressing gender imbalance in the House of Lords, making it more representative of the country.

The transcript of the parliamentary session on the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [Lords] clearly demonstrates a very low level of disagreement. The Bill was described as having ‘widespread cross-party support’ and was noted to have ‘the spirit of co-operation’ throughout its passage. There were no amendments tabled, which suggests a consensus on the Bill’s content and objectives. During the debate, comments were largely supportive and focused on the positive impact of the legislation. For instance, Ms Abena Oppong-Asare stated the Bill’s aim was singular and straightforward, extending previous provisions, and Mr Richard Holden reinforced that the Bill ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’ and praised its success in promoting gender equality among Lords Spiritual. Furthermore, the Paymaster General, Nick Thomas-Symonds, referred to the Bill as ‘unopposable,’ echoing sentiments from the 2015 Act’s passage. The unanimous agreement during both the Committee stage and Third Reading, with no voiced opposition or significant debate, supports a rating of 1 for disagreement, indicating the lowest level of disagreement possible.