§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in his Department contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff in his Department through the scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff in his Department. [143902]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe answer is as follows:
225 (3.8 per cent.) Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme. The average total contribution is about £6,710 a month. In addition, many staff overseas give their time and money generously to local charities. We encourage staff to support their chosen charities through this scheme and have recently taken a number of steps to give it a greater profile, including information on the FCO intranet, a mail shot to all posts and dissemination of publicity posters.