§ 27. Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York)When he will meet a Minister of the Crown to discuss reduced rates of VAT for church repairs. [114843]
§ Mr. Stuart Bell(Second Church Estates Commissioner, representing the Church Commissioners)The hon. Lady will be pleased to learn that I led a delegation to meet the Minister for the Arts on 23 March. The delegation included the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir P. Cormack) and my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden). I thank the Minister, who is still in the Chamber, for his courtesy and his time, as well as for the manner in which he conducted the meeting. I am pleased to say that the meeting was constructive. Although the Church was disappointed not to obtain any relief in the Budget by way of reduced rates of VAT on church repairs, we continue to journey in hope.
§ Miss McIntoshI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that answer. Will he join me in renewing our campaign, based on the understanding that other member states of the European Union treat churches as heritage buildings and apply a reduced rate of VAT? Following his meeting with the Minister for the Arts, does the hon. Gentleman think that there is some chance of churches in this country being treated similarly?
§ Mr. BellI am glad to take the opportunity to thank the hon. Lady and other hon. Members on both sides of the House who have taken an interest in this important subject. It cannot be right that a tax that falls hardest on individual parishes and faith communities also works against the widely accepted view that repair and maintenance play a key role in the conservation and reuse of buildings. We are considering every avenue of discussion with the Treasury, and I shall be glad to examine the point that the hon. Lady raises.
§ Mr. Gordon Marsden (Blackpool, South)Does my hon. Friend agree that it is nonsense that new build in this country attracts no VAT, whereas repairs to historic buildings and churches attract VAT at the full rate? Does he also agree that the importance of church renewal to the rural economy should be presented to colleagues at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, to be taken into account in the forthcoming rural White Paper?
§ Mr. BellI am grateful to my hon. Friend for tabling an early-day motion on the subject. He has forcefully pointed out the contradictions between a Government policy that favours conservation and a tax regime that penalises repair and maintenance but zero rates inappropriate alterations and new build, and disadvantages brownfield development in relation to greenfield development. It cannot be right for the Treasury each year to cream off in VAT far more than it gives to English Heritage in grants to help our precious inheritance. My hon. Friend's support and that of hon. Members on both sides of the House will help our efforts to persuade the Treasury, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to accept our proposals.