§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will mark next year's International Year of Volunteers by spending a day working as a volunteer. [137429]
§ Ms StuartWe fully support the aims of the International Year of Volunteers. Everyone benefits from volunteering and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has issued a challenge to employers to give their employees paid time off to work in the community. This Department reacted positively to the challenge to support staff in undertaking voluntary activities. Department of Health staff are allowed a minimum of one day's paid leave per year to undertake voluntary activity. Furthermore, definitions of voluntary activity have been broadened, and managers are encouraged to exercise discretion and be flexible when considering requests for leave from work. We intend to undertake voluntary activity for a day during 2001.