§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will mark next year's International Year of Volunteers by spending a day working as a volunteer. [137424]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 13 November 2000]: I intend to participate in volunteering during 2001.
I fully support the aims of the International Year of Volunteers. Everyone benefits from volunteering and the Prime Minister has issued a challenge to employers to give their employees paid time off to work in the community. My Department has accepted this challenge and issued a notice to all staff advising them that they may take at least one day of paid leave a year to undertake voluntary activity.