Trade Union Officials (Public Funding)

Julie Elliott Excerpts

Wednesday 26th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Ian Murray]

rose—

[Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Burley]

I will not give way.

I would be grateful if the Minister could address the distinction between paid time off for union duties and unpaid time off for union activities. What are the Government doing about union officials who play the system and use their paid time off for political activities?

Further, are the Government planning to mandate public bodies to record more accurately what time is taken off for political activities, which should not be funded by the taxpayer? We know from a written answer from the Department for Communities and Local Government that public bodies do not even bother recording union time accurately.