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Carers

Like the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), I too, Madam Deputy Speaker, would like to recognise your own contribution to the support of carers over many years. I am sure that Mr. Speaker will not mind my saying that it is entirely appropriate that you are chairing tonight’s debate. I welcome the opportunity to highlight the commitment of carers who, as Members on both sides of the House have said, put a degree of commitment and energy into their task that would put many of us to shame. Today’s launch of carers week makes it entirely appropriate that we are discussing these issues. I echo what the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Lewis), said when he opened the debate. The Government are justifiably proud of their record in extending support and opportunities to carers over the past 10 years, including the first national carers strategy in 1999. I believe that Governments should be judged not on their Green Papers and strategies but on their achievements. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health said, the Government not only produced a national strategy for carers shortly after taking office, but have introduced a raft of initiatives since then. At the heart of that strategy was the recognition that carers also deserve care and support. That did not previously exist. I thank the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt), who led for the Opposition, for acknowledging some of the Government’s achievements. Tangible policy changes have occurred. We introduced the carer’s grant to support councils to provide breaks and services for carers in England. By 2008, that grant will have delivered £1 billion worth of additional support. We introduced new legislation to improve carers’ rights and a new right to carer’s assessment. Indeed, in 2004, Parliament extended the nature and scope of carer’s assessment through the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act, which, as my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary said, was a private Member’s Bill. However, as the motion states, many carers do not currently work. The Government want carers to be able to work when their caring commitment allows them to do so. We all recognise that employment brings not only financial advantages but social contact, on which many carers miss out if they care full-time. That is why, in April this year, the Government extended the right to request flexible working to the majority of carers of disabled adults. Again, that was not even contemplated previously. I hope that hon. Members recognise that we have demonstrated our commitment to helping carers balance their caring responsibilities with their need and desire to work and engage in social activity. Let me pick up on a couple of points that hon. Members made. The hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) highlighted the importance of flexible working practices and I was delighted to hear the example—I think it was of British Telecom—that she gave. She said that the company had introduced flexibility not only for specific categories of workers but across the piece. That will undoubtedly assist carers. I gently suggest to her that she needs to look again at the website from which she got the telephone number she mentioned because we cannot trace a Government helpline that is open only between the hours of 10 and 4 on two days a week. We suspect that it may be one of the many helplines that voluntary organisations have set up. If she gives us the telephone number, we will double-check that.