PART 1Main provisions
Emergency volunteers
8Emergency volunteering leave
Schedule 7 makes provision for emergency volunteering leave.
9Compensation for emergency volunteers
1
The Secretary of State must make arrangements for making payments to emergency volunteers by way of compensation—
a
for loss of earnings;
b
for travelling and subsistence.
2
A person is entitled, in respect of acting as an emergency volunteer, to receive payments by way of compensation in accordance with arrangements made under this section.
3
But a person is entitled to receive payments by way of compensation for loss of earnings only if, in consequence of acting as an emergency volunteer, the person has suffered a loss of earnings that the person would otherwise not have suffered.
4
The arrangements made under subsection (1) may include—
a
conditions that a person must satisfy in order to be entitled to receive payment by way of compensation;
b
different provision for different cases;
c
provision about the procedure for making a claim;
d
provision about how the amount a person is entitled to claim is to be determined;
e
provision about the manner in which payments are to be made by the Secretary of State;
f
provision specifying limits on the amount that a person is entitled to claim.
5
Sums required for the payment of compensation in accordance with this section are to be provided by the Secretary of State out of money provided by Parliament.
6
The reference in subsection (1)(b) to payments by way of compensation for subsistence includes a reference to vouchers and other benefits which may be used to pay for subsistence, whether or not their use is subject to any limitations.
7
The Secretary of State must—
a
publish arrangements made under this section in such manner as the Secretary of State considers appropriate, and
b
lay before Parliament a statement about arrangements made under this section, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are made.
8
In this section a person is an “emergency volunteer” if an appropriate authority certifies that the person—
a
has been approved by the authority as an emergency volunteer in health or social care, and
b
has acted as an emergency volunteer in health or social care for a period for which emergency volunteering leave could have been taken (whether or not the person is entitled to take, or actually took, emergency volunteering leave).
9
In this section “appropriate authority”, “emergency volunteering leave” and “health or social care” have the same meaning as in Schedule 7 (see paragraphs 4 and 31 of that Schedule).