HC Deb 15 July 2003 vol 409 c284W
Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how the voluntary sector will be affected if people work to an older age in paid employment. [124583]

Fiona Mactaggart

The Government published `Equality and Diversity: Age Matters' on 2 July 2003. It seeks views on proposals for the implementation of new anti-discrimination law under the European Employment Directive. It is the first consultation to focus exclusively on proposals for age legislation. The Department of Trade and Industry is the lead department on this matter and The Active Community Unit have been invited to respond.

Information gleaned from the Home Office Citizenship Survey 2000, shows that employed people have a higher propensity to volunteer and the development of the Corporate Challenge, launched on 7 July 2003, will contribute to increasing the number of employee-supported volunteering opportunities.

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