Pensions Bill

I am delighted that despite our necessarily long debates on some of the earlier amendments, we have reached new clause 28 and amendment No. 15, which stand in my name and those of my hon. Friends. Members who regularly attended our debates in Committee will recall that we had a debate that I suspect will be very similar to this one because it dealt with a very similar issue. The hon. Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) raised issues to do with caring, as did my hon. Friend the Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt). It is recognised on both sides of the House that the Bill will benefit the position not only of many women but of many individuals who are carers because of the change that it makes to the national insurance contribution mechanism—the reduced number of years—and the other changes that the Government are implementing in relation to carers credit. We welcome those reforms, which have also been widely welcomed by groups with an interest in the subject. Without going back over all the debate in Committee that is already on the record, it is widely appreciated that some 40,000 individuals who are caring for 20 hours or more a week will not be covered by the Government’s carers credit because they are not caring for someone who is in receipt of constant attendance allowance or the middle or highest rate of the care components of disability living allowance. The various bodies that represent carers—the Equal Opportunities Commission and others—have set out a series of helpful examples, which we discussed in Committee, of individuals whom hon. Members of all parties would want to benefit from the carers credit, but are left out of the Bill. The hon. Member for Northampton, North also raised the matter in Committee and we tabled various amendments, which were designed to remedy the position by introducing a process of certification by health and social care professionals for individuals who are engaged in caring for another person or persons for a minimum of 20 hours a week or more. In one of the great triumphs—perhaps the great triumph—of the Committee stage for the Liberal Democrats, the Minister responded constructively to a debate that my hon. Friend the Member for Solihull initiated. He said that the Government were happy to explore certification and that they had various concerns about whether health professionals would have the expertise to quantify the hours of care, whether they would require payment, and how the new requirement on local authorities would fit into the overall Government approach to carers. The Minister helpfully undertook to discuss the matter with the Department of Health and report back before the end of the Bill’s passage. The new clause and amendment give us an opportunity to check on the Minister’s progress and ensure that he has moved swiftly to deliver the relatively firm undertaking. It gives him an opportunity to tell us what progress has been made between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health. The carers’ organisations and the Equal Opportunities Commission, which represent a broad range of opinion, said that they support new clause 28 and that they would like the Government to press ahead on the matter. I hope that the debate will be brief and that we can get an update from the Government on their commitment. If the Minister responds positively, it will not be necessary to press the new clause.