Cheryl Gillan (Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Wales; Chesham & Amersham, Conservative)

I move on to a general introduction to the Bill. Clause 1 is the establishment clause that sets up the office of Commissioner for Older People in Wales. The post will be established once the Bill passes through Parliament. I commend the Government on the amount of work that has already gone into bringing the Bill to this stage and into establishing the position of commissioner.

We all appreciate that the Bill has taken some time to reach consideration in Committee. It started in another place many months ago and underwent considerable scrutiny there, and we are grateful to all those who participated in the debate. The consultation process on the Bill was particularly interesting. I believe that the Government sent the draft Bill to some 1,700 organisations, and that there were 98 responses, of which 94 per cent. were in favour of establishing the Commissioner for Older People in Wales. There was support for the proposals, although, as with everything, the devil has been in the detail. If I am correct, the Bill contains 11 powers, one duty to make subordinate legislation, and two powers to issue directions—powers which will fall to the Assembly.

I have some general questions for the Minister on clause 1. Has any thought been given to where the offices for the commissioner will be located, and how  many offices there will be? Will they be only in south Wales—in Cardiff—or will there be offices in north or west Wales or elsewhere in the country? Also, as the legislation contains a Welsh translation of the commissioner’s title, and given the very nature of the constituents with whom the commissioner will be dealing, what arrangements will be made for Braille, audio tapes and signing, so that those skills will be available either through the commissioner himself, or herself, or through members of staff? It would be helpful if the Minister could set out the surrounding facts and figures, particularly on how the office intends to communicate with its constituents and on where it may be located.

Nick Ainger (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Secretary of State for Wales; Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire, Labour)

The location of offices will be a matter for the commissioner. Common practice, as with the public service ombudsman for Wales, is that the office be based not in Cardiff—in that case the HQ is in Bridgend. The Children’s Commissioner has regional offices, however, so it would be possible to have a north Wales and perhaps a west Wales regional office if the main office were based in Cardiff.

The hon. Lady raised an interesting point that the commissioner will be dealing with people who may have disabilities, particularly sight and hearing problems. All of the reports can be formatted, for example, in Braille—that can be specified in the regulations—and I am sure that the current practice of the Assembly would also be taken on board in the regulations. I hope that that answers the hon. Lady’s points.

It is also worth explaining why the advisory committee believed that there was a need for a commissioner in Wales to speak on people’s behalf and to act as their champion. Twenty two per cent. of people in Wales are aged 60 or over, compared with only 20 per cent. in England. In 20 years that will increase to 28 per cent. in Wales, compared with 25 per cent. in England. Over the same period, the number of people in Wales aged 85 or over will increase by more than a third, to more than 85,000. The establishment of the office of commissioner will be a significant step forward in ensuring that older people in Wales are heard and understood, that they are safe from harm and abuse, that they receive the opportunities and services that they need and deserve, and that they can play a full part in decisions that affect them. The role, remit and powers of the commissioner will closely mirror those of the Children’s Commissioner, an office which is a successful, tried and tested model. Although the legislation is adapted to take account of a different situation and of the complex needs of older people, it has been based on that model.

As the hon. Lady said, the establishment of the office of Commissioner for Older People has been widely supported in Wales. The commissioner will have powers to promote and safeguard the interests of older people in Wales. That will provide the impetus for increased awareness of the needs of older people and for raising standards in public services and support. I commend the clause to the Committee.