Dear Mr McPherson,

YOUR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (CASE No: 02-03-2009-072439-001)

Thank you for your request made under the Freedom of Information Act for information regarding to the details of any reward or remuneration awarded to members of qualified staff performing the role of a First Aider within our department, please note the following:

The Department encourages staff to attend a HSE First Aid at Work course that covers all aspects of first aid and is intended to train candidates in the initial responses required when confronted by a person or persons suffering from a wide range of injuries and conditions. The course covers the subjects recommended by the Health and safety Executive

The aim of the course is to give candidates a good knowledge of First Aid in the workplace and to give employers a certificated First Aider to comply with the regulations and the approved code of practice. The HSE Certificate is valid for three years.

The Department relies solely on volunteers to act as First Aiders and does not reward in monetary terms or pay any allowance to those staff who have completed the relevant course and hold the relevant certificate.

If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by contacting the Head of Corporate Information, 6th Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail [email address]). Please note that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end.

If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website, http://www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours Sincerely

Mr P Brennan