§ John BarrettTo ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many and what percentage of House of Commons staff contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff through the scheme; and what steps the Commission is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff. [143909]
§ Sir Archy Kirkwood59 members of staff currently contribute to charity under the Give as You Earn scheme. This represents 3.6 per cent. of permanent staff on the payroll. The amount contributed in November was £1,467.13. The Board of Management encourages charitable giving, and details of how to contribute through GAYE are set out in the staff handbook. The last significant promotional activity was in 1999–2000 when the Charities Aid Foundation visited staff to encourage them to take up GAYE.