When I was elected to the House in 1970 one of the resolutions I made was that I would not undertake political or public engagements on a Sunday. That resolution did not extend to church services and on Sunday 28th September I have a very special commitment in Essington. After the Morning service in the parish church I shall be presenting a Contribution to the Community Award to Mrs Irene Millman. It recognises her work, over more than 60 years, to the community and the church in Essington, and is richly deserved.

Sunday's event also underlines the enormous importance of voluntary effort in our country. All over Britain there are unsung heroes and heroines, men and women who, like Irene Millman, give of their time and their talents to a vast range of local organisations without any thought of recognition or reward. Without them every town and village in the land would be a poor and barren place. In every village in my constituency there are a host of clubs and groups and associations, some catering for the very young, some for the youth, some for the elderly. A few weeks ago I was at a splendid concert in Wombourne, put on by young people who had spent their summer holidays working and rehearsing together under the guidance of a small, but dedicated, team of adult helpers. In two weeks time I shall be presenting Awards at the Air Cadet Squadron in Codsall. And so it goes on.

There is, however, just one disturbing aspect of the voluntary scene. The helpers are not getting any younger! Almost all of the organisations with which I come into contact depend heavily upon people of 'a certain age'. Such is the pace, and so many are the demands, of modern life that people under the age of fifty find it difficult to give up much time to voluntary organisations. The lack of new recruits to the voluntary sector is, in part, a result of the two wage earner household. Few are the families where the wife and mother does not go out to work and so the time that people have at home is precious indeed, and spare time almost non-existent.

This Government, like its predecessors, pays perfectly sincere lip service to the importance of voluntary effort. There was a tea party in the House in July where the Home Office Minister with responsibility for the voluntary sector referred to volunteering as ‘the ultimate act of citizenship'. But Government has done very little – and I am not singling out this Government – properly and positively to encourage volunteers by making it easier for women, in particular, to give of their time. This is something that should be properly addressed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he next reviews tax allowances. He has already made it easier to give to charities but he has not made it easier to work for them. It is a subject that could usefully engage the ingenuity of Treasury, and Shadow Treasury, spokesmen as we approach the climax of the Party Conference season