§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding(a) fiscal and (b) other support for church restoration and repairs. [77833]
§ Huw Irranca-DaviesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what representations are being made by the UK Government to the European Parliament on the issue of VAT on church repairs; [78317]
(2) what representations he has received in connection with the possible extension of the listed places of worship grant scheme beyond March 2003. [78316]
§ John HealeyThe Government's long-term objective is to secure a reduced rate of VAT for the repair and maintenance of listed buildings which are used as places of worship. At present the formal European agreements in place on VAT prevent us from doing so. As the Chancellor said in Budget 2001, the European Commission has indicated that it will review its reduced rates for VAT in 2003. The Government have introduced a grant scheme to run in the interim period, until the review has been completed.