The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] is a government bill comprising a single substantive clause. It would extend the period in which vacancies among the lords spiritual are filled by bishops who are women by five years. The lords spiritual are the maximum of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops in the House of Lords. The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 is currently due to expire in May 2025. The bill has been introduced at the request of the Church of England. This briefing provides a summary of the background to the bill, including the appointments procedure for the lords spiritual. It summarises the bill’s provisions and provides statistics on women bishops in the House of Lords.
Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] (304 KB , PDF)
The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] is a government bill comprising a single substantive clause. It would extend the period in which vacancies among the lords spiritual are filled by bishops who are women by five years. It was introduced in the House of Lords on 30 July 2024. It is due to have its second reading on 10 September 2024.
The lords spiritual are the maximum of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops in the House of Lords. Five are automatically granted seats: the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Archbishop of York; the Bishop of London; the Bishop of Durham; and the Bishop of Winchester. The remaining 21 places are filled by bishops from dioceses in England that are eligible to send bishops to the House of Lords.
The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015, which came into force in May 2015, modified the appointment procedure for bishops so that vacancies among the 21 non-reserved places, which are normally filled by seniority (length of tenure as a bishop), are filled by eligible female bishops. The 2015 act included a 10-year sunset clause that is due to expire in May 2025.
The current bill would extend the 2015 act’s sunset clause by five years, to May 2030. The bill has been introduced at the request of the Church of England. The government has said that it supports the intention of increasing female representation among the bishops in the House of Lords.
There are currently 25 bishops in the House of Lords, six of whom are women. Five of them were appointed under the provisions of the 2015 act. The other woman bishop, the Bishop of London, has a reserved seat outside the provisions of the 2015 act.
Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] (304 KB , PDF)
The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) vets nominations to the House and recommends non-party political members. While its advice is usually followed, it is not a statutory body and the prime minister can choose to disregard its advice. This briefing provides an overview of the role and powers of the commission and summarises recent debates concerning its reform.
The Conservative government set an expectation that civil servants spend at least 60% of their working week at a government building or on official business. The Labour government has maintained this expectation due to the “clear benefits of face-to-face working”. Some civil servants have raised concerns about the 60% office attendance mandate, including civil servants in HM Land Registry who have recently voted in favour of strike action.
This page provides interactive data on the creation of life peerages in the House of Lords.
