§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish a volunteers' charter to address the rights of volunteers. [20346]
§ Jacqui SmithWe already have in place an agreement to respect and promote the rights of volunteers under the Volunteering Code of Good Practice. This code forms part of the Compact agreement between all Government Departments and the voluntary sector. The code was launched in October 2001 and the Department is represented on the implementation group. This group recently met for the first time to agree on methods for the promotion of the principles and good practice set out in the code.