Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with English Heritage about the replacement of lead stolen from church roofs; and whether they raised in any such discussions the option to replace such lead with materials of a similar appearance but less value.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government are not party to information on the replacement costs for lead stolen from churches in England, as this is the responsibility of local congregations. We have not had discussions with Historic England regarding the replacement of lead stolen from church roofs, nor the use of alternative materials in their replacement.
Government currently provides support to churches throughout the UK via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which is presently funded to a maximum of £42m per annum. Established in 2001, the scheme provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs, maintenance and alterations to listed buildings that are used principally as places of worship.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the estimated replacement costs for lead stolen from churches in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government are not party to information on the replacement costs for lead stolen from churches in England, as this is the responsibility of local congregations. We have not had discussions with Historic England regarding the replacement of lead stolen from church roofs, nor the use of alternative materials in their replacement.
Government currently provides support to churches throughout the UK via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which is presently funded to a maximum of £42m per annum. Established in 2001, the scheme provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs, maintenance and alterations to listed buildings that are used principally as places of worship.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes in how the BBC World Service is funded on its coverage of the situation in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
No assessment has been made of how the changes to BBC World Service funding have impacted on its coverage of the situation in the Ukraine. The BBC is operationally, editorially and managerially independent and it is therefore for the BBC Trust to comment on and manage the funding and operation of the World Service. In a June 2013 statement the then Chair of the Trust, Lord Patten, confirmed that the funding for 2014-15, the first year of Licence fee funding, would be £245 million – representing an increase of £5 million on the previous year of (Foreign Office) funding.