Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

As I understand it, Amendment No. 17 gives the noble Lord an opportunity to clarify that the commissioner can look at indirect and direct issues that affect older people in Wales. I hope that the noble Lord will confirm that that is the case. I should like to concentrate on Amendment No. 18, which links to my Amendment No. 19 to Clause 2, exchanging the word ““good”” for ““best”” when it comes to practice. I argue that the amendment is right, and I agree with it in principle. But how can the commissioner encourage best or good practice if people are not trained to work to such targets? Is the noble Lord suggesting that the commissioner’s office should do the training? I do not think that that would be right, given the limited resources and the large remit the commissioner already has under the Bill. I should have thought that the responsibility for training should remain with the organisations and individuals on which the commissioner can report. His office can provide guidance that he has consulted, but it should be the responsibility of the service providers to ensure that their staff are trained to the correct level and in the correct manner, just as it is their responsibility to ensure that these standards are upheld and, if not, that the appropriate action is taken to change that. I am concerned that the amendment would unwittingly take the responsibility away from those with whom it should rest and those who should be held accountable for their organisation’s actions, and would tend to place the responsibility with the commissioner who cannot report and monitor objectively on himself.