§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 2001,Official Report, column 773W, on community amateur sports clubs, how many such clubs (a) in the UK and (b) in the Buckingham constituency have applied for charitable status since the Charity Commission's announcement. [32069]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Charity Commission announced on 30 November that it would recognise as charitable the
promotion of community participation in healthy recreation by the provision of facilities for the playing of particular sports.Community amateur sports clubs are able to apply immediately. The commission has received a significant number of inquiries from sports clubs interested in taking advantage of the new charitable purpose. As clubs will have to consider the implications of charitable status, seek agreement from their members if they wish to pursue this option and make any necessary changes to their constitutions before applying for charitable status, there will inevitably be some delay before clubs are in a position to formally apply for registration. No clubs in the Buckingham constituency have yet formally applied to register.