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.
