My Lords, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak in support of the Bill, which, most appropriately, has been introduced in this House by the noble Lord, Lord Ashley.

I have read the debates on the Bill in Another place, and I too should like to pay particular tribute to the author of the Bill, Dr Hywel Francis, MP for Aberavon, a place for which I have particular regard, and not least because my kinsman, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Howe, was born and brought up there and there too fought his first parliamentary election battle.

The commitment to the disabled and those who care for them that Dr Hywel Francis has shown, both in his own personal life and in Parliament from his maiden speech onward, is more than impressive. The Bill, fully accepted by the Government and now before your Lordships' House, carries that commitment forward. Its important aim is to ensure that appropriate help and wider opportunities are known and available to this vital, yet still far too undervalued, group of carers; and not just on a postcode lottery basis, but universally.

Frankly, I have to admit to being somewhat surprised that such a Bill should have been necessary. When one considers not just the benefit the individual concerned receives from the carer's dedicated and loving support, but also the economic benefit we all receive, as the noble Lord, Lord Morris of Manchester, pointed out, because the state does not have to bear the full cost of residential care—an amazing £57 billion a year I believe—it is even more amazing.

We in this House have recently had a number of debates on the needs and still far from equal opportunities of our country's disabled and disadvantaged citizens. But this Bill, quite rightly, deals with the other vital half of the equation. It does so by placing a duty on local authorities to ensure that some six million carers who look after sick or disabled family members or friends in their homes are fully informed of their rights to an assessment for the kind of help, support and opportunities that could help make their lives more fulfilling.

Sadly, as we have heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley, the important duty placed on the NHS and social services to promote the health and welfare of all carers was lost during the Bill. Like the noble Baroness, I think that we all would want to emphasise that the effect should be carried out. Clearly, by doing our best to ensure healthy carers, apart from preventing suffering to the carer and the cared for, we are also—yet again—saving the financial cost of having to provide full community care.

With the context of what is being proposed, I hope that special attention will be given to speeding up the provision of practical—often relatively inexpensive—carer equipment which, if provided promptly, makes all the difference to a carer's ability to cope. My noble friend Lady Finlay, who is particularly sad not to be here today, especially asked me to stress that the time carers still have to wait for hoists, commodes, door widening and other necessary housing adaptations remains. That is not only totally unacceptable, but worse, it is counter productive. The carer becomes increasingly exhausted and unable to cope. Ultimately, the patient ends up in hospital, leaving the carer feeling guilty that he or she has failed: hardly the intended result.

I turn finally to the expected very positive outcomes of the Bill. I should especially like to commend two specific parts. First, a duty is laid on responsible authorities to co-operate in providing necessary services. That clearly echoes and reinforces other "joined up" government initiatives—seen most recently perhaps in the Children Bill. Secondly, the Bill seeks to improve carers' chances of finding employment. In these days of greater emphasis on, and achievements for, equal opportunities for women and people of different racial backgrounds in employment as well as other areas, the duty on local authorities to ensure that carers are given equality of opportunity in education, training and leisure is particularly welcome. No doubt organisations such as TOPPS can be useful here.

Clearly, flexibility and the need for part-time arrangements in the organisation of training and jobs will be crucial for the Majority of carers if that welcome move is to become a reality. Also needed by many carers will be the availability of another person who can cover caring duties while the carer is undertaking training, retraining or is working.

One group of carers whom I hope will benefit hugely from the Bill are young carers. The All-Party Group on Children recently had the opportunity of hearing from a group of children with such responsibilities. They were an impressive group, keeping families together where considerable problems existed—such as a parent disabled, mentally ill or with a drug problem—while also trying to attend school. I must say that their stories did not always reflect well on how their peers treated them, nor indeed on the support and understanding you would have expected them to receive from their teachers.

I will keep your Lordships no longer, but once again I wish the Bill, with its cross-party support, as the noble Lord, Lord Ashley, said, a speedy passage on to the statute book and, more importantly, into practice.