Social Care (Local Sufficiency) and Identification of Carers Bill

Joan Ruddock Excerpts

Friday 7th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sir Tony Baldry]

We all know the organisations and bodies that are concerned about carers policy. I heard my hon. Friend the Minister say clearly that he was willing to engage with us and others to make sure that, when the Bill on social care is presented to the House, those parts of it that deal with carers are as robust as possible. For the first time, we are at last acknowledging that a large number of people in this country are carers and that there need to be robust policies in relation to them.

[Dame Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Sir Tony Baldry]

Before I give way to the right hon. Lady, I want to say that I hope that the Government’s Bill will codify all the existing legislation relating to carers. Over the years, a whole number of private Members’ Bills, one of which was introduced by the hon. Member for Aberavon (Dr Francis), have enhanced the role of carers. It is confusing and difficult for people to find their way around different bits of legislation, so it would be good if all of the legislation relating to carers were collected in one piece of legislation.

[Sir Tony Baldry]

I am genuinely delighted to hear my hon. Friend say that. It is really good news. If we continue on that basis, we will make substantial progress.

[Dame Joan Ruddock]

I wanted to intervene to say that I was surprised that the hon. Gentleman was satisfied with the Minister. I say to the Minister that it would be a miracle if one could get every piece of legislation into one consolidated Act; it just does not work in that way.

I say to the hon. Gentleman that it would be a great shame if the Bill were talked out today, after all the work, all the effort, all the support in the country and all the Members who have come here today to support it. The place to deal with the issues that the Government may or may not want is in Committee. A vote in favour of Second Reading today would send an important message on all the matters that my hon. Friend the Member for Worsley and Eccles South (Barbara Keeley) has spoken about so ably this morning.

[Sir Tony Baldry]

Having been a Minister in the last Government and as a grown-up and senior Member of this House, the right hon. Lady has a clear understanding of how legislation works and evolves. A large number of private Members’ Bills during the 13 years of the last Government did not make progress in the form in which they were drafted. The point is not that the Bill must pass today in this form, but that it contains a number of provisions, some of which are not in the White Paper.

The grown-up and responsible undertaking that I have received from the Minister is that he will have intelligent discussions with all of us who are concerned about carers policy over the next few months to see whether we can get some of these provisions into the Government Bill when it is brought forward. If not, all of us will want to hear good reasons why, given that some of the work in the private Member’s Bill builds on previous legislation, for example on child care, where there are clear precedents for what we are seeking to achieve.