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Personal Care at Home Bill

I think that I have listened to every speech and contribution made today, and I have found them extremely stimulating. Far from objecting to the Committee stage being taken on the Floor of this House, I take the view that we ought to do this much more often. I do not think that it takes away from the scrutiny performed in Committee upstairs, but I believe that people might get involved in what we do here to a greater extent if we had more of the transparency to which this Bill has been subjected today. I welcome the Bill, and I also welcome the contributions made by the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope). A few harsh things have been said about him, but I have many relatives in the steel industry down in his area and they will be supporting him. They do not say that he does not distinguish his post, because he so clearly does. I am sure that they are proud to have him as their Member of Parliament. Briefly, I should like to thank the House for the involvement of people with learning disabilities. For all those who will benefit because they need personal care at home, the Bill is progressive, meaningful and welcome. Although we heard threats about what might happen in another place, I hope that people such as Lord Morris and Lord Ashley and many others there will recognise the progressive nature of the Bill and will see that the Government and many organisations have welcomed the provisions. I believe that they will welcome the fact that at this stage in our Parliament we have given such prominence to something so profoundly important. I hope that that will be a beacon and a signal of the relevance that we give these matters in the next Parliament, when I expect to be speaking from the same spot.