To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1126-27W, on v, how many (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) short-term opportunities have been created by v to date; and how many volunteers on average have filled each of these opportunity types. (254099)

Up to the end of January 2009 v had created over 875,000 opportunities to volunteer and 311,000 had been completed by volunteers. This is an increase from the 251,000 volunteers that had completed opportunities by the end of September 2008.

The following table provides a breakdown of opportunities commissioned and completed by the type of opportunity:

Volunteering opportunities can play a hugely important role in enabling people to develop new skills and improve their employment prospects. In recognition of this, today the Government are publishing ‘Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises’, a £42.5 million plan to support the third sector to deliver real help to people, communities and businesses during the recession. The plan contains a volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people which will create over 40,000 opportunities to learn new skills and give back to communities through volunteering. Copies of ‘Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises’ have been placed in the Library of the House.