Vale MP Alun Cairns recently met with Barry resident Mark Sainsbury after a request from the charity Blood Bikes for assistance in relation to an anomaly that has occurred where VAT is charged on their activities.
Mr Sainsbury explained to the Vale MP detail of the use of motor cycles by the group which is linked to the NHS in both Wales and England.
Mr Sainsbury said: “Our local NHS hospitals are supported by a group of local volunteers that provide an out of hour’s rapid response courier service, free of charge. Our local group, Blood Bikes Wales is one of twenty five groups across the UK, which are represented nationally by the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes. Collectively, we responded to around 35,000 requests in 2013 from 272 NHS hospitals to move urgent clinical products between NHS locations. This service is staffed by approximately 1,500 unpaid volunteers and provided totally free of charge to the NHS.”
Mr Cairns said: “I was very pleased to meet Mark and also see the bike that the volunteers use. They are a self-funded charity who are making use of their skills as motorcyclists to provide a dedicated service to the NHS. The use of the motorcycle clearly gives them an advantage over other vehicles because they can navigate traffic delays and make quicker progress on some of the more rural roads around the Vale of Glamorgan.
He added “Mark has made me aware of a VAT technical issue with HM Revenue and Customs, which currently applies to some charities such as Blood Bikes. I will be writing to the Chancellor George Osborne asking him if he could look at the problem and to include Blood Bikes to the list of organisations that would be exempt from the VAT payment.”