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Saving Gateway Accounts Bill

I put on the record my welcome for these amendments. Some of us in this House have spent a lot of time saying, "Don’t forget the carers", most notably the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley, and we are glad to see that they have not been forgotten on this occasion. I have already declared that my wife and I are carers. We are not affected by the amendment, because we do not claim a carer’s allowance, and we do not intend to do so. I am also a patron of the charity Rethink, and in that capacity I have had a good number of meetings with carers. My wife has regular meetings with carers in south-west England, so we know quite a lot about it. As the Minister may know, some carers feel that they are neglected. Indeed, that has been a feature of life over quite a few years. For myself, I do not think that the financial effects will be all that great, but certainly the effect on opinion among carers will be highly favourable, and that is important. They form a large category, and for that reason we should warmly welcome these amendments from the Government.