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Charities
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which organisations are treated as charities for taxation purposes without coming under the
- regulatory jurisdiction of the Charity Commission; and why they are so treated.[HL1134]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey): There are a number of charities in England and Wales which do not come under the full regulatory jurisdiction of the Charity Commission. These are exempt charities, which include, among others, most universities and national museums; excepted charities, such as some of the Protestant Churches; and those with an income below £1,000 per annum (unless they have a permanent endowment or the use or occupation of land).
A full list of classes of exempt charities is in Schedule 2 to the Charities Act 1993. Excepted charities are enacted by regulations made under Section 3(5)(b) of the Charities Act 1993.
None of these organisations has to register with the Charity Commission, nor submit an annual report or annual accounts. The Charity Commission has differing powers to inquire of and investigate these charities, but these are limited in nature, particularly in respect of exempt charities.
The Government believe that this situation is no longer justified and the Charities Bill currently being drafted will bring greater regulatory oversight of these organisations as charities.
Charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland are not regulated by the Charity Commission but benefit from tax exemptions by virtue of their charitable status. The Inland Revenue decides whether bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland are charities for tax purposes, using the same principles of charity law as the Charity Commission.
Marriage
Lord Northbourne asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have made an estimate of the annual cost to the Exchequer of marriage breakdown in the United Kingdom.[HL1390]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In 1999 the then Lord Chancellor commissioned Sir Graham Hart to carry out a review of the funding of the marriage and relationship support. His report, Funding of Marriage Support, is available of the DCA website (http://www.dca.gov.uk). The Government have not commissioned specific research into the cost to the Exchequer of marital breakdown.
Road Fuel
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How much road fuel, by value and by quantity, was sold in financial year 2002–03, broken down between (a) leaded petrol; (b) unleaded petrol; (c) diesel; and (d) fuel from other sources.[HL1293]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): Figures for the quantity and value of road fuel demand in the financial year 2002–03 are presented in the table below:
| Quantity (million tonnes) | Value (£ billion) | |
| Lead Replacement Petrol | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Unleaded Petrol | 19.7 | 20.1 |
| DERV fuel | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| LPG | 0.1 | 0.1 |
The Auto-Oil Directive banned the general sale of leaded petrol from 1 January 2000. Since then leaded petrol has been replaced by lead replacement petrol (LRP) which is lead-free.
Liquid petrol gas (LPG) is the only other road fuel and data have been sourced from HM Customs and Excise figures.
The DTI publishes demand and price information for petroleum products in the quarterly Energy Trends and Energy Prices publications. The most recent editions for December 2003 were published on 8 January 2004 and are available in the House of Lords Library. Table 3.5 of Energy Trends contains demand for key petroleum products including petrol and derv while Energy Prices table 4.1.1 contains details of key road fuel prices.
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government are aware of the potential impacts that the Sakhalin II project may have on the western grey whales. My right honourable friend the Minister for Trade has written to Sakhalin Energy making clear the importance that we attach to ensuring that these are properly minimised and that the best scientific advice is being followed. In determining this, ECGD officials will be taking advice from recognised independent whale experts and will take into account the views of interested NGOs.
It is expected that details of the whale protection measures agreed with Sakhalin Energy will be published and that compliance with them would be a contractual obligation on the company. Qualified consultants would monitor compliance with these obligations on behalf of ECGD and the other lenders, should support be eventually agreed.
Lord Wedderburn of Charlton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: A public consultation on draft regulations took place in 2003. Members of both Houses will be able to debate the regulations as the Employment Relations Bill proceeds through Parliament and the regulations will then be subjected to the affirmative resolution procedure.
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 20 January (WA 133), what assessment they have made of the role which can be played by not-for-profit providers of health cash plans in helping low-income and other National Health Service patients to meet increasing hotel charges, loss of earnings and other expenses associated with hospitalisation; and[HL1100]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 20 January (WA 133), whether they collect any information about the numbers of National Health Service patients whose charges for optical and dental treatment are met annually by not-for-profit providers of health cash plans; and[HL1101]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 20 January (WA 133), what assessment they have made of the role of not-for-profit providers of health cash plans in supporting National Health Service patients; and[HL1102]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 20 January (WA 133), what plans they have to involve not-for-profit providers of health cash plans in meeting the travel and accommodation expenses of family members visiting hospitalised relatives who opt for medical treatment away from their home area in accordance with developing government policy initiatives.[HL1103]
What arrangements they are making to ensure that any guarantees provided by the United Kingdom Export Credits Guarantee Department for oil and gas projects adjacent to Sakhalin in Russia undertaken by Shell, Sakhalin Energy and other interests are conditional upon effective safeguards to enhance the protection of grey whales.[HL1310]
Whether they will provide an opportunity for Parliament to debate the draft Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations before the coming into force of pending legislation which will give them power to make those regulations.[HL1338]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 20 January (WA 133), why the Department of Health does not collect information on (a) substantial donations from not-for-profit providers of health cash plans to the National Health Service, and (b) the numbers of individual National Health Service patients who benefit from such plans; and whether they will do so in future; and[HL1099]
26 Feb 2004 : Column WA76
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The Department of Health has no plans to engage with not-for-profit providers of health cash plans regarding the provision of schemes and assistance outlined in these questions, nor does it collect information about the level of participation in such schemes. This has never been an issue for departmental involvement and the department does not wish to burden the National Health Service with collection of information for which it has no direct business need.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the criteria for entry to the PACE trials for individuals suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis currently being funded by the Medical Research Council and the Department of Health.[HL1273]
Lord Warner: PACE (Pacing, Activity and Cognitive behaviour therapy: a randomised Evaluation) is one of two trials being funded by the Medical Research Council which will look at the effectiveness of various treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.
The criteria for entry to the trials have not yet been finalised.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 11 February (HL 1179), whether they will define the Action for ME (AfME) chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis clinical network project; whether they will define "all those in the field"; how knowledge is to be accessed; and between whom best practice will be shared.[HL1337]
Lord Warner: Action for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis clinical network project is intended to link clinicians, commissioners, voluntary organisations and patients. It will help to share knowledge of good practice in service delivery, draw together and learn from local initiatives, identify needs and gaps and stimulate planning to meet them.
It is intended that knowledge will be accessed during the project by bringing together patients, clinicians and commissioners at meetings to share their wealth of experience and knowledge of methods of best practice. Subsequently during these meetings, overlapping aims can be identified and useful discussions held which will lead to work plans and goals being drawn up. The production of guidelines written for other organisations looking to run a similar project will further enable knowledge to be accessed.
Best practice will be shared between patient groups, strategic health authorities and primary care trusts in planning and developing services for people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.
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