# DWP backtracks on volunteers' lunch allowance

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/08/25/dwp-backtracks-volunteers039-lunch-allowance/
- Published: 2006-08-25T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Department for Work and Pensions has changed tack and decided that volunteers
on benefits no longer have to pay for their own lunch.
The department has been under
pressure from Volunteering England and a number of other people in the sector to
reverse its decision to offset lunch charges against benefits. Volunteers on benefits
have always been able to claim out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, but meal costs
were not included in this, meaning that people had to pay for them out of their 
benefits.

Almost 90 MPs had signed up to Diane Abbott’s early day motion to have meal costs
included, many people wrote individually and Volunteering England set up a Right
to reasonable expenses lunch campaign. Head of information at Volunteering England
Mark Restall said this was a victory for the sector as a whole.

The DWP said it was unfair to be penalising volunteers on benefits and Secretary
of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton said We do not want a situation where
individuals are put off from volunteering because they cannot afford to buy something
to eat.

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The Department has not put a date on the changes but Hutton said it would be working
solely with charities and volunteering organisations to implement the changes quickly
and as smoothly as possible.

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