Order, order.

Secularisation Bill

A Bill to

Separate church and state, secularise all parts of the British State, sever any connection between the head of state or government and any particular faith and secularise state education

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Part I

Definitions

Section 1: Definitions

1. For the purposes of this act “State Schools” shall refer to all Maintained Schools, Academy Schools, Grammar Schools and any other State funded or organised school, with the exception of designated Faith Schools
2. Faith Schools are exempt from the provisions referring to State Schools, and the only provisions that apply to Faith Schools are ones that explicitly refer to Faith Schools
3. Religious Texts are specific holy books or scriptures that are central to a religion and are seen as such by said religion

Part II

Disestablishment

Section 2: The State Churches

1. The Church of England shall no longer be the State Church of England
2. All connections between the Church of England and the British State shall be severed
3. The Church of England has until the State Opening of Parliament following this act to implement any reforms to the Church of England that it deems necessary, after which the state shall take no responsibility of any involvement in the running of the Church of England
4. The Church of Scotland shall no longer be the National Church of Scotland

Part III

Governance

Section 3: Head of State

1. It shall no longer be a requirement for the Head of State of the United Kingdom, the sitting British Monarch, to be Supreme Governor of the Church of England
2. The Monarch shall no longer be the Defender of the Faith
3. It will no longer be a requirement for the monarch to be a member of the Church of England
4. Any further restriction on the religion of the monarch or the royal family shall be abolished
5. The Monarch shall not have any official role within any one specific religion
6. The Royal Household shall create plans for a Secular Coronation that is representative of modern britain There will be no requirement for the coronation to be a religious ceremony, and shall be the ultimate decision of the Heir Apparent

7. The Monarchs Style shall be changed:

   From: By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of [Her /His] other Realms and Territories [Queen/King], Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

   To: Of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of [Her/His] other Realms and Territories [Queen/King], Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Realm

Section 4: House of Lords

1. The Lords Spiritual shall lose all right to sit in the House of Lords
2. the 26 Bishops that currently sit in the House of Lords shall no longer have the right have any part in the legislative process in their current form
   1. this does not restrict the bishops being made Lord Temporals
3. This shall come into effect following the first state opening of parliament after this bill is enacted

Section 5: Prayers in Parliament

1. The convention of prayers in the House of Commons before each sitting for the purpose of seat reservation shall no longer happen
2. The convention of prayers in the House of Lords before each sitting shall no longer happen
3. Parliament should establish separate facilities and functions for any such faith as is required by MPs or Lords, for use for voluntary personal worship

Part IV

Education

Section 6: Religious Activities and Worship

1. No State School shall have any mandatory/organised prayer or religious collective worship as any part of the school functions
2. No State School shall have any mandatory hymns with inherent religious undertones unless for educational curricular purposes
   
3. All State, Faith and Independent schools must provide for the equal provision availability of resources for religious students to undergo voluntary private religious worship
4. No State School shall allow schools to be used as a platform for the distribution of religious texts by anyone except the school itself, and in those situations the texts should only be given out for educational curricular purposes
5. All State Schools should have a range of religious texts available for students, including in School Libraries, and should not show undue favour to any one religion
6. No Faith school may discriminate in any way during the admissions process, unless the school is a grammar school, where the school my discriminate based on ability only.

Section 7: Religious Education

1. All State, Faith and Independent schools must have a balanced and impartial religious education component to their curriculum, and it must be taught in an open, balanced and inclusive way.
2. All teachers in State schools must be impartial and tolerant in all respects in relation to religion
3. All State, Faith and Independent schools must make provision, and allow, items of clothing or items of a religious nature, if the item is a requirement for that student's faith

Part V

Commencement

Section 8: Commencement

1. This bill extends to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2. Parts II and III shall come into effect following the first state opening of parliament following this bill
3. Part IV shall come into effect in September 2015
4. This bill may be cited as the Secularisation Act 2015

This bill was submitted by /u/demon4372 on behalf of the Liberal Democrats.

This reading will end on the 11th of August.