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Personal Care at Home Bill

This is a very important group of amendments, because we have been discussing the preparedness of the Government—their having a thorough understanding of the technical detail in advance of laying this before the House. In respect of seeking a derogation from compliance, under the Human Rights Act 1998, to the European convention on human rights, the Government have yet to convince us. Therefore, we will seek to divide the House, not least because of all the arguments of reinforcement put forward by my right hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood (Mr. Dorrell), who is a former Secretary of State, and also because the Minister did not give a sufficiently robust answer on the cost-benefit question—on the argument about just 2,000 people benefiting from this, weighed against any increase in access.