HL Deb 28 March 2000 vol 611 cc67-9WA
Lord Hardy of Wath

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider that, where use of a motor vehicle has been necessary in order to assist or

How much money non-charging national museums have received from the National Lottery; and, if they had been able to reclaim the VAT from their respective Lottery grants, how much each non-charging museum would have been entitled to receive, and how much VAT they would have been entitled to reclaim from current ongoing projects. [HL1012]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

It is not possible to give figures for VAT recoverable on moneys received from the National Lottery, but only on the total project costs. In certain cases, this can only be an estimate, because VAT is subject to negotiation. The Heritage Lottery Fund can only grant 75 per cent. of the total project costs and the VAT may be included in the grant request

Non-charging national museums are entitled to reclaim VAT in respect of some of the costs incurred on capital and revenue projects. The table below gives the amount of VAT national museums and galleries have so far reclaimed and expect to reclaim on capital projects.

enable a crime to be committed, the courts should be able and encouraged to order that such a vehicle should be confiscated. [HL1561]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)

Under Section 43 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973, courts are empowered to make an order of forfeiture of property (including a motor vehicle). This power is available where the court is satisfied that the property has been used for committing or facilitating the commission of an offence or that it was intended to be so used. Exercise of this power is entirely at the discretion of the court in the light of the circumstances of the offence and the offender.

The power is available for certain motoring offences (broadly those which are punishable by imprisonment). These include dangerous driving, driving or attempting to drive when unfit to drive through drink or drugs, driving whilst disqualified and the "causing death" offences.

The Home Office is conducting a review of penalties for road traffic offences, in conjunction with the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. This will include consideration of when the power of forfeiture should be available to the courts in road traffic offences.