§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what estimate she has made of the cost to English Heritage of administering the VAT/grant recovery scheme for places of worship; and if she will make a statement; [28915]
(2) for what reason the administration of the VAT/grant recovery scheme for places of worship is administered by English Heritage; and if she will make a statement. [28914]
§ Dr. HowellsCSL Group Ltd. are DCMS's appointed contractors for the Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant scheme. Initial estimates are that the LPW Scheme could be worth up to £30 million per year. There is no cap on the scheme; all listed places of worship that meet the criteria will receive a grant. This Department has been asked to make a small contribution to the costs of the scheme. We have asked English Heritage to help us meet this commitment, which they have chosen to do through the redirection of £2 million in grant-in-aid from the Joint Places of Worship (JPOW) scheme.