§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the reasons underlying his statement in the pre-Budget report that the generosity of Gift Aid has been increased; and if he will make a statement. [28921]
§ Ruth KellyIn his pre-Budget report statement the Chancellor stated that Gift Aid was being more widely used. This is a result of reforms he introduced from April 2000 to improve incentives for giving to charity. A larger number of donors can now use Gift Aid following the abolition of the £250 million minimum limit on Gift Aid donations. This has brought into the scheme the large number of smaller donations, which were previously excluded.