Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 29 October 2007 on behalf of the Church Commissioners.

VAT (Church Repairs)

Question: I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that reply. Will he convey our warmest wishes for a speedy recovery to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Sir Stuart Bell)? Does the hon. Gentleman accept that the cost to the taxpayer of administering grants from English Heritage puts a burden on the state, whereas reduced VAT—the subject of an ongoing campaign by me and many Members on both sides of the House—would actually help churches, bearing in mind that they have a particular role in rural constituencies such as Vale of York?

Answer: I thank the hon. Lady for her kind remarks, which I shall pass on to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough. I congratulate her on her work in trying to resolve church repairs issues, which are substantial in terms of the £100 million target. However, she will be pleased to know that to date £63 million has come from return of VAT, and that the scheme has been extended to 2011. I hope she recognises that the state is trying to do its bit, with the Church, to try to resolve some of the issues.

Secondary information