§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, if he will publish the details of the scheme operated by the Church Commissioners, in conjunction with dioceses of the Church of England, to assist clergy with car purchase and operation.
§ Mr. AlisonThe car loan scheme operated by the commissioners enables all serving clergy, deaconesses and licensed lay workers on the commissioners' payroll to apply, through their diocesan office, for an interest free loan towards the purchase of a car. The loan is normally repayable over four years and, for parochial clergy, has a current ceiling of £4,550.
The scheme was introduced on 1 July 1988 and has proved extremely popular; to date 2,798 loans have been granted, the total sum involved being £9.9 million.
Parochial church councils are expected to reimburse the clergyman in full for those expenses which relate to parochial duties. These include car expenses, which the commissioners recommend be met by a mileage rate which includes elements for running costs, insurance, tax and depreciation.