Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 2020

2 National ministry register

(1) The Archbishops’ Council may by regulations require the bishop of each diocese or the holder of any other specified office in the Church of England to provide the Council within a specified period with specified information about—

(a) each clerk in Holy Orders who has authority to exercise ministry in the diocese or other area or place concerned, and

(b) each other person who has authority of such description as the regulations may specify to exercise ministry in the diocese or other area or place concerned.

(2) The regulations may require a person who is subject to a requirement by virtue of subsection (1) to provide the Archbishops’ Council, as frequently as is specified, with specified information about each person—

(a) who becomes authorised to exercise ministry in the diocese or other area or place concerned,

(b) whose authority to exercise ministry there is varied, or

(c) who ceases to be authorised to exercise ministry there.

(3) The information which the regulations may specify about a person for the purposes of subsection (1) or (2) includes—

(a) the person’s name and address,

(b) the form of authority to exercise ministry which the person has,

(c) the area, place or activity to which the authority relates, and

(d) any limitation of time to which the authority is subject.

(4) The Archbishops’ Council must compile and maintain a register of the information provided to it under the regulations.

(5) The Archbishops’ Council must publish and make available free of charge (in each case, whether in electronic form or otherwise) such of the information on the register as the regulations require; but the regulations may not require a person’s home address or other personal contact information to be published or made available.

(6) In acting under subsections (4) and (5), the Archbishops’ Council may compile a register of the information referred to in subsection (1)(a), and publish and make available information on that register, before it compiles a register of the information referred to in subsection (1)(b) and publishes and makes available information on that register.

(7) Regulations under this section may make different provision for different purposes.

(8) Regulations under this section may not be made unless—

(a) a draft of the regulations has been laid before the General Synod and approved by it with or without amendment, and

(b) the draft so approved has been referred to the Archbishops’ Council.

(9) On referral of the draft, the Council may—

(a) if the draft was approved without amendment, make the regulations by applying its seal, or

(b) if the draft was approved with amendment—

(i) make the order by applying its seal, or

(ii) withdraw the draft for further consideration.

(10) Regulations under this section may not come into force unless they are sealed by the Council.

(11) If the Business Committee of the General Synod determines that a draft of regulations under this section does not need to be debated by the Synod, the draft is to be treated as approved for the purposes of this section unless a member of the Synod gives notice in accordance with its standing orders that the member—

(a) wishes the draft of the regulations to be debated, or

(b) wishes to move an amendment to it.

(12) The power to make regulations under this section is exercisable by statutory instrument; and the Statutory Instruments Act 1946 applies—

(a) as if the regulations had been made by a Minister of the Crown, and

(b) as if this Measure were an Act of Parliament providing for the instrument containing the regulations to be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.