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Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 1:"Page 2, line 22, leave out ““, 16 or 17”” and insert ““or 16””" The noble Lord said: My Lords, before I speak to Amendment No. 1, I would like to record the Government’s position on carers on behalf of adults who lack capacity, an important issue on which there has been prolonged and helpful discussion between my noble friend Lady Royall and myself and noble Lords on both sides of the House. I thank the carers’ organisations and other groups that have assisted us. The discussions have been so productive that we do not face an amendment to Clause 6, which is why I want to take this opportunity to record officially the position that we have now reached. I set it out at length in a letter this morning to my noble friend Lord Harris, copied to other noble Lords, which I believe offers a constructive way forward. Our shared view is that individuals who arrange care for family and friends should take part in the new vetting and barring scheme, and be given strong official encouragement to do so. However, we do not want potentially to criminalise those vulnerable adults, and their friends and family members, by making them liable to the formal legal duties and penalties in the Bill. We therefore intend to include in a revised code of practice under the Mental Capacity Act an expectation that carers will require those whom they employ on behalf of vulnerable adults in the home to be subject to monitoring. In addition, a booklet specifically targeted at individuals making decisions on behalf of family and friends will set out that recommendation in the same terms. That booklet will be distributed as widely as possible through local authorities, carer agencies and other organisations. I trust that that approach is acceptable to the House and will allay previous concerns on this difficult issue.