Dear Cabinet Office,

I read the article on your website about the Civil Service volunteering initiative, and would be interested in receiving some background information that you may hold about this.

I am fully in favour of voluntary work, but am also interested in the costs of this volunteering.

1. The article stated that you'd committed 30,000 volunteering days a year. I'd like to receive any information you hold about the estimated costs of these days to the public purse.

2. I'd also be interested in the assumptions used to calculate costs - for example, whether you used a notional daily rate of pay to calculate total cost to the public.

3. I'd be interested in the estimated equivalent number of civil service posts these volunteering days equates to, in light of the reduction in civil service headcount.

I hope this is sufficient to enable you to process my request, but I'd be happy to clarify anything if necessary.

Yours faithfully,

H Hamilton