---

Personal Care at Home Bill

The reluctance of the Opposition to support this Bill was obvious on Second Reading and today. The amendment would require a commencement order before the Bill could come into force, and would be yet another obstacle to the provision of free personal care for those adults and older people with some of the highest needs. We want to help those people live independently in their own homes. The hon. Gentleman talks about consensus. He holds out the hand of consensus, but in his other hand is the back-stabbing knife of the Conservatives' disgraceful and scaremongering petition on disability benefits for older people. That shows the two-faced attitude of the Opposition in applauding the Green Paper at the same time as opposing the Bill. It is discourteous when the Conservatives are running a petition on their website that seeks to scare vulnerable and anxious older people with assertions about disability and attendance allowances that are wholly untrue. Although the Conservatives have been reluctant to support the Bill—describing it as anomalous and perverse, as they have done today—other people have welcomed it unreservedly. Imelda Redmond, chief executive of Carers UK, has said:""Many families face crippling costs to pay for care, and this historic pledge to end the means test for those with the highest need could make a huge difference to their lives."" That is in stark contrast to the quotes cited by the hon. Gentleman.