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Legislation

The Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service (CLAS)

CLAS is a vehicle for conveying to the Government the views of the churches on legislation and other matters which directly affect them. It covers subjects ranging from taxation, heritage grants and charity law to marriage law, immigration rules, planning and building regulations and water charges, with much else besides. Circulars are issued to members giving information and advice. CLAS also publish a series of booklets on aspects of church management. These are now available from the publications part of their website here.

Data Protection

The Data Protection Act 1998 – A guide for Parishes
Please note that this legislation will be replaced by the General Data Protection Regulations from 25 May 2018. This section of the website is therefore currently under review.

There is now Guidance for Parishes on the new GDPR regulations. You may also find the following links to the Information Commissioner’s website useful:

Data Protection Reform

Preparing for the GDPR

Copyright and Performance Rights

CCLI has created handy printable information sheets to help you inform others in your team or congregation about copyright in church. These Fact Files are intended to be a comprehensive guide to copyright in the church, covering not just CCLI, but all information that churches might need to be aware of.

Not sure which licences you need? This table will show you at a glance.

Click on an activity to find out more about the licences required, or on the name of a licence for full details of what that licence covers. When you know which licences you need, you can view the licence fees and apply online via these links to the CCLI website.

	CCL	MRL	PRS for Music	CLA	CVL	PPL	SongSelect Basic	SongSelect Advanced Melody
Reproduce the words of hymns and worship songs (e.g. projection)	•
Photocopy hymns and songs from authorised publications	•	•
Perform live music outside times of worship for social activities			•
Play music from a sound recording outside times of worship (e.g. social activities, youth groups etc.)			•			•
Make audio / video recordings of church services for non-commercial use	•
Play music from a sound recording during times of worship, weddings & funerals	No licence required
Show films or film scenes outside times of worship			•		•
Show film scenes during times of worship only					•
Photocopy from magazines or non-music books				•
Download Song Lyrics	•						•
Download song lyrics, chord sheets & lead sheets	•							•

Filming and Video Recording in Churches and Churchyards

Advice is available on Filming in Churches or Churchyards and Video Recording in Churches. Please note that these documents are currently under review.

Use of Church Land or Premises for Secular Uses

This section is currently under review.

Marriage Law and the Church of England

This section is currently under review.

Guide to the Equality Act 2006 and the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007

This section is currently under review.