To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 255W, on Gift Aid, what plans his Department has to amend Gift Aid (a) rules, (b) eligibility and (c) tax relief.

In February 2010, the Treasury set up a Gift Aid Forum, drawn from representatives across the charitable sector, to consider options for improving Gift Aid, informed by the recent donor research. The forum aims to come up with firm recommendations by the end of September 2010. It has a page on the HM Treasury website:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_gift_aid_forum.htm

The Government have announced in the Budget that the UK's tax reliefs for charities and charitable giving, including Gift Aid, will be extended to certain EU charities, to comply with a recent European Court of Justice judgment. To help reduce the increased risk of fraudulent claims, HMRC proposes to introduce a number of changes to the Gift Aid process. These are set out in the HMRC Budget Note:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2010/bn32.htm