List of bishops in the Church of England
The active bishops of the Church of England are usually either diocesan bishops or suffragan bishops. Several also hold portfolios of national responsibility, as spokesperson bishops for the Church of England and/or as Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords. Diocesan bishops. As there are 42 dioceses of the Church of England, there are 42 bishops diocesan (including vacancies). Of the 42: both archbishops and the Bishops of London, of Durham and of Winchester, sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual "ex officio"; a further 21 sit there by seniority  (of whom five had their seniority accelerated); the Bishop of Sodor and Man sits "ex officio" in the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man and also in Tynwald Court; fourteen diocesans are not (yet) Lords Spiritual; and the Bishop in Europe is ineligible for the House of Lords. Lords Spiritual with seniority of service. Until 2015, the 21 longest-serving among the remaining diocesan bishops were eligible to sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual. Since women became eligible as bishops in 2015, female diocesan bishops take precedence over male ones whenever a new vacancy in the  Lords arises, in accordance with the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (in force until 17 May 2025). Suffragan bishops. , there are 73 bishops suffragan, plus the Archbishops' Bishop (who is neither diocesan nor suffragan, but the incumbent has not been a diocesan). Of the 73: the Bishop of Dover acts as if a diocesan bishop, the Bishop of Islington has a national role (though often focused in London), five bishops provide "Alternative Episcopal Oversight" (to parishes who reject the presbyteral and/or episcopal ministry of women), 20 are area bishops, and the remaining 46 are deployed in suffragan roles across their  diocese. Other bishops. , there are eleven people in active ministry (i.e. not retired) in the Church of England who are in episcopal orders but not in episcopal posts. House of Bishops. The membership of the General Synod's House of Bishops is: Acting diocesan bishops (commissaries) also "attend" but do not vote (unless they happen to hold a vote as an elected representative suffragan) at meetings of the House. The four "provincial episcopal visitors" (the Bishops suffragan of Richborough, of Ebbsfleet, of Maidstone and of Beverley) may attend and speak, but are not members and may not vote — unless they  are elected as representative suffragans. It was announced in June 2016 that the "participant observers" arrangement would be replaced from 1 December 2016 with an arrangement whereby six female bishops suffragan would be "[given] rights of attendance". They are: Scheduled Crown Nominations Committee (CNC) meetings. The following meetings of the "Crown Nominations Commission" have been held since 2016, with the outcomes listed: