THE Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill cleared the committee stage in the Lords this week.

The Bishop of Ripon & Leeds, the Rt Revd John Packer, moved an amendment to the Education Act so that a faith school could "teach about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and the bringing up of children . . . in accordance with the tenets of the relevant religion or religious denomination".

Homophobic bullying, he said, "must have no place in church or any other schools", and "discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation is usually expressly forbidden within a school's code of conduct."

But: "Within that atmosphere . . . church schools must nevertheless be in a position to teach the nature of marriage in a way that is in accordance with the tenets of the Church of England. The distinctive Christian ethos of church schools will be undermined unless that position is accommodated."

The Equalities Minister, Lady Stowell, said that, although the Government believed that the necessary protection already existed, "we are discussing it with the Churches and we will . . . continue to consider it."

The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Timothy Stevens, introduced an amendment to clarify that expressing the view that marriage was "the union of one man with one woman" would not be considered discrimination or harassment.

He was not, he said, seeking to introduce "a charter to vocally agitate in the workplace". The amendment would "give reassurance and legal protection . . . to many who share an understanding of the Churches and other faiths, and those of no faith, about what they believe marriage to be. . .

"At root, this amendment is largely about establishing cultural norms and expectations about what will continue to be acceptable in terms of public discourse about marriage. . . We cannot expect those cultural assumptions and norms to change overnight, or at the speed at which legislation may emerge."

Lady Stowell said that the Government was working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to "inform public authorities of the absolute rights and freedoms of people to express their religious beliefs".

Both Bishops withdrew their amendments before a vote.

A government amendment, which the Lords accepted, will change the Public Order Act so that "any discussion or criticism of marriage which concerns the sex of the parties to marriage shall not be taken of itself to be threatening or intended to stir up hatred."

The Bill returns to the Lords for its report stage on 8 July. A number of peers who withdrew amendments indicated that they would reintroduce them unless their concerns were addressed by amendments.