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Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 14:"Page 1, line 9, after first ““of”” insert ““and safeguard best””" The noble Lord said: The amendments in this group, Amendments Nos. 14 and 19, are drafting amendments to ensure consistency with the rest of the Bill, most notably with Clause 3(1) and Clause 5(1). Amendment No. 14 puts into the general functions of the commissioner the need to safeguard the best interests of the older people in Wales on top of the need to promote awareness of older people’s interests in Clause 2(1)(a). One could argue that there is no point in promoting awareness if you are not going to safeguard those interests. The amendment emphasises the importance of safeguarding best interests and reflects the wording in the other clauses, ensuring consistency throughout the Bill. Amendment No. 19, which relates to Clause 2(1)(c), seeks to replace the word ““good”” with ““best””. It is but a small amendment in the great scheme of things, but surely the commissioner is there to stand up for older people’s rights and, as such, should be fighting for their best interests and the best he can get. ““Good””, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, means,"““having the right qualities, adequate, competent””," while ““best”” means,"““most excellent, in the best way, to the greatest degree””." That is what we want for the older people in Wales. I beg to move.