HC Deb 08 February 1994 vol 237 cc217-8W
Dame Peggy Fenner

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what proposals he has to encourage unemployed people to offer their services as volunteers and to improve the conditions for doing so;

(2) what representations he has received from the National Association of Voluntary Bodies on the need for further improvements in conditions for unemployed volunteers in receipt of benefits.

Mr. Burt

The Government strongly support opportunities for volunteering and provide a variety of advice and opportunities for the unemployed who wish to do so. Publicity leaflets outline the advantages to unemployed people who wish to undertake voluntary work and point out that as volunteers they can now be allowed 48 hours notice before taking up a job opportunity.

Community action will this year provide 50,000 opportunities for unemployed people to do work of benefit (c) 12 to 15 years live in families receiving (i) income support and (ii) family credit; and what were the comparable figures in each year since 1978–79.

Mr. Burt

Information is not available in the precise form requested as income support and family credit were not introduced until April 1988. Such information as is available is in the tables.

Numbers and proportions of children in families receiving income support
Year Under five years Per cent. Five to 11 years Per cent. 12–15 years Per cent.
1993 1,139,000 30.1 1,291,000 25.9 540,000 20.3
1992 1,062,000 28.1 1,166,000 23.4 476,000 17.9
1991 949,000 25.3 1,019,000 20.5 400,000 15.4
1990 829,000 22.4 860,000 17.5 355,000 13.8
1989 830,000 22.6 829,000 17.2 371,000 14.0
1988 820,000 22.7 853,000 18.0 419,000 15.1

to the community. Participants receive an allowance equivalent to £10 per week more than their weekly benefit rate.

Additionally, the benefit rules contain a more generous provision for this treatment of earnings received by people such as retained fire fighters, lifeboatmen and others who volunteer for forms of special service to the community.

No recent representations have been received from the National Association of Voluntary Bodies.