§ Mr. Alan CampbellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the total amount given to charitable organisations in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the total amount of tax relief for charitable donations in that year. [96864]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonAnnual estimates for total donations to charities are not available centrally. The Charities Aid Foundation estimates overall income donated by individuals to be around £5 billion to £6 billion per year. In addition to this, charities also benefit from donations by companies and other organisations.
313WThe cost of tax relief on donations to charities under the tax-effective methods of giving, namely Deeds of Covenant, Gift Aid, Millennium Gift Aid and Payroll Giving, in 1998–99 was about £725 million.