Clergy Conduct Measure 2026

1. Introductory Text

2. Introductory

   1. 1. Duty to have regard to purpose of disciplinary system etc.

3. Jurisdiction

   1. 2. Jurisdiction on clergy conduct

   2. 3. Meaning of “misconduct”

4. System structure

   1. 4. President and Deputy President of Tribunals: continuation

   2. 5. President and Deputy President of Tribunals: functions

   3. 6. Registrar of tribunals: continuation

   4. 7. Registrar of tribunals: functions

   5. 8. Clergy Conduct Commission: continuation

   6. 9. Clergy Conduct Commission: functions

   7. 10. Provincial panel: composition

   8. 11. Provincial panel: period of inclusion

   9. 12. Panel of assessors: composition

   10. 13. Panel of assessors: period for inclusion

   11. 14. Investigation and Tribunals Team

5. Making a complaint

   1. 15. Complaint: proper interest

   2. 16. Complaint: procedure

   3. 17. Protected parties

   4. 18. Self-referral by cleric

   5. 19. Limitation periods

6. Complaint handling

   1. 20. Referral of complaint

   2. 21. Allocation of complaint

   3. 22. Action after allocation of complaint

   4. 23. Grievance

   5. 24. Complaint of misconduct: investigation

   6. 25. Complaint of misconduct: report

   7. 26. Complaint of misconduct: conciliation

   8. 27. Complaint of serious misconduct

   9. 28. Safeguarding issues arising during investigation

7. Proceedings on a complaint

   1. 29. Bishop’s disciplinary tribunal

   2. 30. Vicar-General’s court

   3. 31. Procedural matters

   4. 32. Vexatious litigant: application for restraint order

   5. 33. Vexatious litigant: operation of restraint order

8. Restrictions and suspensions

   1. 34. Restriction orders and suspensions: power to impose

   2. 35. Restriction order

   3. 36. Suspension

9. Penalties etc.

   1. 37. Penalties and administrative sanctions

   2. 38. Power to impose penalty or administrative sanction

   3. 39. Exercise of power under section 38

   4. 40. Conditional discharge

   5. 41. Deposition from Holy Orders: priest or deacon

   6. 42. Deposition from Holy Orders: bishop or archbishop

   7. 43. Restoration on pardon

   8. 44. Limited prohibition: performance of cleric’s functions

   9. 45. Disobeying penalty etc

   10. 46. Conviction for offence etc: power to impose penalty etc

   11. 47. Power under section 46: time limit

   12. 48. Recognition of external decisions etc.

   13. 49. Rights of patronage

10. Reviews and appeals

    1. 50. Review etc by President of Tribunals on complaint

    2. 51. Review by President of Tribunals of penalty etc on conviction

    3. 52. Appeal etc to court

    4. 53. Permission to appeal

    5. 54. Composition of court on appeal or review

11. Information

    1. 55. Conviction, arrest, caution etc

    2. 56. Divorce or separation order

    3. 57. Work in other capacities: adverse findings

    4. 58. Archbishops’ list

12. Practical and procedural points

    1. 59. Panel of approved lawyers

    2. 60. Place where court or tribunal to sit

    3. 61. Evidence

    4. 62. Contempt

    5. 63. Costs and fees

    6. 64. Recording and publication of decisions

    7. 65. Delegation by bishop or archbishop

13. Scrutiny by General Synod

    1. 66. House of Bishops’ declarations

    2. 67. Code of Practice

14. Interpretation

    1. 68. General interpretation

    2. 69. Meaning of “conclusive” conviction etc.

15. Ancillary

    1. 70. Consequential amendments

    2. 71. Repeals

    3. 72. Transitional and saving provisions

16. Final

    1. 73. Citation, commencement and extent

17. Schedules

    1. Schedule 1

       Consequential amendments

       1. 1. City of London (Guild Churches) Act 1952

       2. 2. Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1963

       3. 3. (1) Section 3 (judges of the Arches and Chancery Courts)...

       4. 4. (1) Section 7 (jurisdiction of the Arches and Chancery Courts)...

       5. 5. In section 60 (powers in relation to costs), in subsection...

       6. 6. In section 66 (interpretation), in subsection (1), in the definition...

       7. 7. Overseas and Other Clergy (Ministry and Ordination) Measure 1967

       8. 8. (1) Section 1 (permission for overseas clergy to officiate) is...

       9. 9. In section 4 (performance of episcopal functions by overseas bishops),...

       10. 10. Synodical Government Measure 1969

       11. 11. Church of England (Legal Aid) Measure 1994

       12. 12. Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007

       13. 13. In section 13 (delegation by bishop), in subsection (1), after...

       14. 14. In section 14A (delegation by archbishop), in subsection (1), after...

       15. 15. Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure 2009

       16. 16. In section 3 (duration of appointments)— (a) in subsection (3)(d),...

       17. 17. In section 9 (supplementary provisions), in subsection (1), for the...

       18. 18. Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations 2009

       19. 19. In regulation 5 (note about disciplinary procedures etc.), in paragraph...

       20. 20. In regulation 29 (fixed and other limited term appointments), in...

       21. 21. Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018

       22. 22. In section 10 (Arches and Chancery Courts: appointment of judges),...

       23. 23. In section 14 (Arches and Chancery Courts: jurisdiction), in each...

       24. 24. In section 14A (Arches and Chancery Courts: decisions treated as...

       25. 25. In section 21A (training requirements for ecclesiastical judges), in subsection...

       26. 26. In section 81 (Rule Committee: membership), in subsection (9)—

       27. 27. (1) Section 83 (power to make rules) is amended as...

       28. 28. In section 86 (fees orders), in subsection (8), in paragraph...

       29. 29. Cathedrals Measure 2021

    2. Schedule 2

       Transitional and saving provisions

       1. 1. Proceedings under the CDM

       2. 2. Penalties etc. under the CDM

       3. 3. Provincial panels

       4. 4. Safeguarding guidance

       5. 5. General