Caring Responsibilities

Debate between Jack Dromey and Tony Baldry

Wednesday 15th June 2011 Westminster Hall

[Tony Baldry]

Of course all of politics is about choices. However, the hon. Gentleman might want to reflect on the fact that the international credit-scoring agencies are now rating Greece as one of the countries that is at greatest risk of having its finances collapse; only Ecuador and Jamaica are at greater risk in that respect. If one does not take responsible actions to maintain the nation’s finances in good order, one runs that type of risk. The Government have made sensible choices about increasing spending on the NHS in real terms, but that means that there are consequences elsewhere and other choices have to be made. I think that we have to be grown-up about that.

[Jack Dromey]

The hon. Gentleman is of course right that those in government, whether that is central or local government, should be wise custodians of the public purse. Can he explain, therefore, why Birmingham city council defied advice that it was acting in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and spent £750,000 on pursuing a case that ultimately failed? Would it not have been wiser for the council to have spent that money on care for the elderly and disabled in Birmingham?

[Tony Baldry]

With respect to the hon. Gentleman, it is often difficult for statutory bodies to know where their responsibilities lie and that is particularly so in the world that we all have to live in—a world of emerging human rights legislation. I must declare an interest as a practising barrister. I have to say that the main growth area for the Bar at the moment is judicial review, including judicial review in the Supreme Court, to test the statutory responsibilities of local authorities, and I am sure that we will see more of that. Having said that, I do not think that that gets away from the Government’s responsibility to try to bring the nation’s finances back into some balance.