,Lords' bishops to be axed

BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT HE Church of England will bishops' seats in the House of posals for reforming the Upper House
At present 26 Anglican bishops are entitled to sit and vote in the Upper House. Under the proposals now announced by the ruling Labour Government this representation will be reduced under a gradual process to 16.
SMALL MAJORITY The existing House of Lords has a total membership of just over 1,000. or whom some 736 are hereditary peers by succession, but a good average of attendance is 140.
Under the proposed reform measures, the total House of Lords will have 230 members with voting rights, the Government of the day having a small majority. Existing hereditary .peers would remain members of the Lords for their lifetime but would lose their voting rights.
In the case of the bishops, their number would be reduced by a gradual process from 26 to 16. The final 16 would always include, as now, the two Archbishops and the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester. the five senior
dioceses in terms of precedence. irrespective of whether the bishop is senior in terms of consecration or not.
All existing 26 prelates would continue in membership of the reformed House but as any of the remaining 21 retired from their sees, and therefore membership of the House, they would he replaced on the basis of one new bishop for every two retirements until the total of 16 was arrived at.
Proportionally, the Catholic contribution to the reformed Lords will he much smaller than it is at present. A suggestion that there should be spiritual peers from the Roman Catholic Church and the Free Churches has received little support.
Because of irregular attend
lose ten of its Lords if proare approved.
ance it seems likely that at least half of the 50 Catholic peers will not be able to vote.
Opposition to the present reform proposals is generally expected to come from Leftwing members of the Labour Party and Right-wing members of the Conservative Party.