Sovereign Grant Act 2011
Encyclopedia
The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 (c. 15) is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It is the biggest reform to the finances of the British Royal Family
since the inception of the civil list
in 1760.
The Act consolidates three previous funding sources (the civil list paid by the Exchequer, grant-in-aid for royal travel paid by the Department for Transport
and grant-in-aid for the maintenance of royal palaces paid by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
) into a single payment, called "Sovereign Grant". The Sovereign Grant will be subject to accountability auditing by the National Audit Office
. Funding to the Royal Household
will be treated more similarly to funding for other government departments, unlike previous civil list payments. The new Sovereign Grant will commence in 2013.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It is the biggest reform to the finances of the British Royal Family
Finances of the British Royal Family
The British Royal Family receives money from a number of sources both public and private. The official reported annual cost to the British Public of keeping the Royal Family was £41.5M for the 2008-09 period...
since the inception of the civil list
Civil list
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom, the Civil List is the name given to the annual grant that covers some expenses associated with the Sovereign performing their official duties, including those for staff salaries, State Visits, public engagements, ceremonial functions and the upkeep of the...
in 1760.
The Act consolidates three previous funding sources (the civil list paid by the Exchequer, grant-in-aid for royal travel paid by the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
and grant-in-aid for the maintenance of royal palaces paid by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
) into a single payment, called "Sovereign Grant". The Sovereign Grant will be subject to accountability auditing by the National Audit Office
National Audit Office (United Kingdom)
The National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies...
. Funding to the Royal Household
Royal Households of the United Kingdom
The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the organised offices and support systems for the British Royal Family, along with their immediate families...
will be treated more similarly to funding for other government departments, unlike previous civil list payments. The new Sovereign Grant will commence in 2013.