The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (c. 18) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. It states that whenever a vacancy arises among the Lords Spiritual during the next ten years after the act comes into force, the position has to be filled by a woman, if there is one who is eligible. In this case, the act supersedes section 5 of the Bishoprics Act 1878, which would otherwise require "the issue of a writ of summons to that bishop of a see in England who having been longest bishop of a see in England has not previously become entitled to such writ".[1] It does not apply to the five sees of Canterbury, York, London, Durham or Winchester, which are always represented in the House of Lords.
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to make time-limited provision for vacancies among the Lords Spiritual to be filled by bishops who are women. |
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Citation | 2015 c. 18 |
Introduced by | Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Commons) Lord Faulks, Minister of State for Civil Justice and Legal Policy (Lords) |
Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 26 March 2015 |
Commencement | 18 May 2015 |
Status: Current legislation | |
History of passage through Parliament | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
Bishoprics Act 1878 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to provide for the foundation of four new Bishoprics in England. |
Citation | 41 & 42 Vict. c. 68 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 16 August 1878 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The act was passed half a year after the Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure 2014 authorised the Church of England to appoint women as bishops.[2]
The first female diocesan bishop, and thus the first female Lord Spiritual due to this act, was Rachel Treweek in 2015.[3] Consecrated Bishop of Gloucester on 22 July 2015[4] and enthroned on 19 September 2015,[5] she joined the Lords on 7 September 2015 with the full title The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Gloucester,[6] and was introduced to the House by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London on 26 October 2015.[7] She made her maiden speech on 7 March 2016.[8]
Since then, Christine Hardman (2016), Viv Faull (2018), Libby Lane (2019), Guli Francis-Dehqani (2021), and Helen-Ann Hartley (2023) have also entered the Lords due to this Act shortly after becoming diocesan bishops. Therefore 6 out of 20 vacant Lords positions occurring in the first nine years of the Act (as of February 2024) have been filled by women.[a] Without the Act, Treweek and Hardman would only have become Lords Spiritual in late 2021.[b]
In addition (and independently of the Act), Sarah Mullally entered the Lords ex officio when appointed Bishop of London in 2018.