§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many members of her342W staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if she will make a statement. [39744]
§ Clare ShortOur formal volunteering strategy was introduced in January 2001. All staff are eligible for one day's paid leave a year to allow them to take part in voluntary activities.
I cannot provide statistics for the last two years but following the introduction of our strategy, nine staff were granted paid leave during 2001 to undertake volunteering activities. This figure excludes those staff who have used annual leave to enable them to participate in voluntary activities, or who did so out of working hours. For 2002, we have already approved three days paid leave for one individual.