Miliband helped to swing lunch expenses decision

Finance | Gareth Jones | 18 Jan 2008

Ed Miliband, minister for the third sector, personally attended the meeting at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that led to the department's u-turn on volunteers' lunch expenses.

The change of policy means that volunteers in receipt of benefits can now claim their lunch expenses back. Volunteering England led the campaign, "Right to reasonable expenses", and was lining up volunteers to send their lunch receipts to DWP in protest. But before this was required, the department made the unexpected u-turn that ensures volunteers on benefits will no longer have to bear the cost of their lunchtime meal.

The issue arose after DWP published its Volunteering Handbook earlier this year, stating that volunteers in receipt of benefits could not claim back lunch as expenses. According to Volunteering England and DWP, this made it appear to charities and volunteers that there had been an amendment to the rules. But in fact, the rule had been in place since Job Seekers Allowance launched; it was simply not widely known about or upheld. The thinking behind the guidelines, according to a spokesperson, was that volunteers receiving benefits would, in principle, be receiving "double provision" by claiming back lunch expenses.

Miliband said: "This rule change responds to the needs of organisations that recruit volunteers and shows the Government's determination to break down the barriers to volunteering."

Directory: Department of Work and Pensions | Volunteering England

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