The Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill was introduced to repeal provision which prohibits persons of the Roman Catholic or Jewish faiths from advising the Crown on appointments in the Church of England or Church of Scotland; also to repeal provisions which preclude such persons from making ecclesiastical appointments. It received its First Reading on 22 October 2026, and its Second Reading was scheduled for 10 November 2026.
However, for the afternoon of 10 November 2026, Hansard records:
Baroness Smith of Basildon
The Lord Privy Seal
Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab)
“My Lords, as this Motion refers to a fast-tracked Bill, I thought it would be useful to set out the arrangements for the scrutiny of this legislation, as agreed by the usual channels. Second Reading will take place tomorrow during the dinner break, at a convenient point after or around 7.30 pm. Subject to agreement of this Motion, all remaining stages will then take place on Monday 23 November. The Chief Whip will set out further details for arrangements from 23 November in due course, if they are needed”.
Motion agreed.