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Carers

I thank the Select Committee for and congratulate it on the report, which is a well informed piece of work. The dedication required to produce it has been reflected in the comments made during the debate. That is borne out by the fact that the Committee took the time to visit carers and speak to them to find out how it is in real life, not just from the theoretical warmth of a Committee Room. That is to be commended. The Committee decided to put on page 7 of the report a job advertisement that had been written by a carer and placed in a paper in New South Wales. It refers to the qualities required to become a carer and things that a carer will have to endure. It begins by saying that it is a"““critical role for self starter””" and a"““hands on role””." It also talks about"““experience in first aid, counselling, occupational health and safety, pharmacology, cooking, cleaning, communication skills””," as well as the things that people have to endure:"““The successful applicant must be able to endure the lack of joy, self-love and relationships indefinitely. Must also be able to function alone as friends leave due to your state of depression.””" It continues in that vein and is fairly depressing. Those remarks are meant in some humour, but the advertisement wants to provide some reality about how some people are. What strikes me about today's debate is that it is important for us to understand the complex needs of carers, because they are not a homogenous group. At one level, people are in a state of depression and there is a feeling of burden and isolation. That is without doubt something that people experience not just in Australia, but in the United Kingdom today. The 4 million or so carers referred to by the Chairman of the Select Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, North (Mr. Rooney), are not a homogenous group. People have complex needs and are a variable group. Indeed, the Chairman told us that he was a carer for a short period for Mrs. Rooney—a lady whom I know well. She is a very patient lady, as those who know the Chairman will understand.