Employment Bill [HL]

I am delighted to respond to these government amendments, which we welcome. They are good news for both voluntary organisations and those who wish to volunteer. There have been mutterings on my side as to whether their Lordships are volunteers as well, but possibly they are not. I am glad that the Government are taking steps to clear up any confusion about what expenses are allowable and that they are expanding them to reflect more accurately the difficulties and costs that a voluntary worker can incur. There are many expenses that might deter a potential volunteer worker from participating fully, as the Minister mentioned, such as childcare and travel expenses. The advantages that charities and other eligible organisations bring to those whom they help and to the communities in which they work are of course of enormous importance and, I hope, widely appreciated. The benefits that a voluntary worker will enjoy, especially if he is otherwise unemployed or unable to partake in paid employment, are only starting to be appreciated by many but are also remarkable. Voluntary work should be encouraged if at all possible and I hope that the amendments will allow more people to participate fully. However, I draw the noble Lord’s attention to an adjustment that the Department for Work and Pensions made two years ago when attention was drawn to the effect that volunteering expenses had on state benefits. It was pointed out that many beneficiaries of jobseeker’s allowance and incapacity benefit should be actively encouraged to seek voluntary work. As I mentioned, such work has a proven effect on a person’s self-confidence and health, and can give them valuable experience and training before they become immersed in the world of paid employment. On 9 October 2006, therefore, the Department for Work and Pensions announced that meal expenses and so on would not affect benefits, and so recipients could work towards re-entering the job market without fear of being penalised. Today, the Minister has repeated what the Department for Work and Pensions said two years ago. Therefore, the question is: why on earth has it taken two years for a lesson that one department learnt to be taught to another? The situations are practically identical. However, we are delighted to support the amendments. On Question, amendment agreed to.