4. Dr Laurie Scandrett asked -

(a) In the bill for the Standing Committee Ordinance 1897 Amendment Ordinance 1995 is there a clause determining whose responsibility it is to decide which Region a "Qualified Lay Person" may represent? For example a "Qualified Lay Person" could live in one region, attend church in another but be a lay representative for a parish in a third region.

(b) Could responsibility for the determination be made by -

(i) the "Qualified Lay Person" themselves, by declaration; or

(ii) the Committee of Elections and Qualifications (or other such body); or

(iii) the Diocesan Secretary; or

(iv) some other body?"

To which the Archbishop replied -

I am advised that the answer is as follows.

The bill for the Standing Committee Ordinance 1897 Amendment Ordinance 1995, set out on pages 232 to 235 of the Standing Committee's report to the Synod, does not provide any express guidance as to when a Qualified Minister or a Qualified Lay Person is from a Region.

The Standing Committee intended that, for the purposes of the bill, a person would be from a Region if -

(a) in the case of a Qualified Minister, that person was licensed to a parochial unit in that Region at the time of that person's election; and

(b) in the case of a Qualified Lay Person, that person was a member of a church in that Region at the time of that person's election.

A clause to that effect had been included in the bill considered by the Standing Committee but was inadvertently omitted prior to its printing for Synod. An amendment to reinstate the clause will be placed on the amendment sheet.