To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will pay the postal costs of voluntary bodies and registered charities requested to respond to Government consultation documents; and if he will make a statement. [80921]

When voluntary bodies and registered charities are invited to respond to a Home Office consultation paper, postal costs are not automatically covered. However, each case is considered on its merits, taking account of such factors as the scale of the consultation exercise and the nature of the information requested.The Home Office does not pay postal costs incurred by organisations responding to consultation documents from other Government Departments. It is a matter for individual Departments to decide whether to cover these.