§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which charitable organisations his Department has funded in each year since 1997. [105684]
§ Ruth KellyThe Government supports causes of a charitable nature (such as international development, help for elderly people and animal welfare) through the relevant Departments, whose programmes include work through the voluntary sector. The Government has also demonstrated its support through the Budget 2000 'Getting Britain Giving' package of tax reliefs to encourage charitable giving, and further reforms in Budget 2002. Tax reliefs are now worth £2 billion a year to charities.
The Treasury itself supports charities through practical means. Both Treasury and the Inland Revenue have provided secondments to the Giving Campaign which is also funded jointly by the Inland Revenue and the charitable sector; we have opened the Payroll Giving scheme to our own staff; and we are considering donating life-expired computer equipment for use in developing countries.
Furthermore, on Wednesday 30 April HM Treasury will—in conjunction with the Compact Working Group on relations between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector-publish a consultation on the use of the £125 million fttfi/rebuilders fund announced as part of the 2002 Spending Review. The fund is intended to enable the voluntary and community sector to help deliver public services, and as such the proposals were developed jointly with the voluntary and community sector.