New legislation gives ​employees the right to take three volunteering days a year

Employees in England and Wales are to receive three days volunteering leave – as pledged by David Cameron last year.

Every public sector worker and anyone working in a company with at least 250 employees would be entitled to the volunteering leave.

Private companies will be free to use their own discretion on whether or not they want to back the pledge.

Minister for civil society Rob Wilson made the announcement in his first speech to parliament.

He said: “We put at the heart of our manifesto a commitment to three days of paid volunteering leave for employees in large organisations.

It will be great to have more people volunteering - Rob Wilson

“Many companies do this already but we’ll make this a reality for more people – a new entitlement for millions which will unleash a new wave of skills, capability and passion to help others.”

The Working Time regulations will be amended to make clear people are entitled to 28 days' paid holiday and three days' paid volunteering or serving as a school governor.

They would be able to take the time in a block or flexibly.

Last year the prime minister said: "What I want to do here is help people who want to do more to help their communities, to help others to volunteer to build a stronger society.

"It will be great to have more people volunteering, more people being school governors, more people putting back into their community.

"Britain is a nation of volunteers and this is going to take this further and faster."

There were doubts that the measures would be delivered by the new government as no details were contained in the Queen’s Speech.

However, Wilson said he was committed to volunteering and revealed plans to “substantially grow” the National Citizen Service, and “intensify support” for Step Up To Serve’s #iwill campaign – which provides increased youth social action opportunities to “encourage a lift time habit of volunteering”.