Care Workers
Debate between Andrew Smith and David Simpson(10 years ago)
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Mr Smith
My hon. Friend’s point is well made. We are undoubtedly talking about a United Kingdom-wide problem. A Freedom of Information Act request from Unison this year showed that a staggering 93% of councils in England and Wales—I dare say that the situation is not so different in Scotland and Northern Ireland—do not make it a contractual condition that the home care providers that they commission must pay home care workers for their travel time.
David Simpson (Upper Bann) (DUP)
I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on obtaining the debate, and I declare an interest because my wife is a carer. One of the biggest problems, certainly in my constituency in Northern Ireland, is the recruitment and consistency of staff. They are under so much pressure because of their terms and conditions, but at the end of the day, they save the Department of Health and the Government a lot of money.
Mr Smith
Yes, indeed. The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, and I will say more about that later. Of course, there will be massive increased need for these workers in the future. One reason recruitment and retention are so difficult is that terms and conditions are often so poor.
Let me develop my argument further. Only 21% of councils have ever asked to see documentary evidence relating to the pay of care workers employed by their contractors. In the face of that and the other evidence I have cited, it is appalling that the Government are doing so little to uphold the legal rights of home care workers. It is indefensible that HMRC has stopped carrying out proactive investigations of national minimum wage compliance in home care, despite having revealed the extent of the breaches itself.