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Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 42:"Page 2, line 40, leave out paragraph (d)." The noble Lord said: I shall start by speaking briefly to Amendment No. 42. We are coming back to the argument about devolved and non-devolved matters. Sometime soon, we will have to examine the question because, as we noted last week, so many complaints from older people in Wales relate to non-devolved areas. For instance, we now have adult protection co-ordinators, who are appointed by county councils or borough councils. They are able to go into homes and to go anywhere at any time; there is no limit to what they can do. By limiting things to the devolved sphere, we are extracting the teeth of the commissioner. So much that is needed is not within his or her remit. With Amendment No. 42, we are asking the Government to think again. With Amendment No. 43, we are asking, ““Why do we need the Secretary of State’s consent?””. Surely even in devolved matters, the consent should be that of the National Assembly for Wales, not the Secretary of State. That is an unacceptable provision. A similar question arises with regard to the requirement that at least half of the person’s expenditure is met by the Assembly. We want the Government to consider the amendments. They are thoughtful amendments that would strengthen the role of the commissioner and widen his scope to include the real needs of the people whom we are trying to serve. I beg to move.