Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 11:"Page 2, line 12, at end insert—" ““(   )   The results of the Commissioner’s work shall be the subject of an annual report. (   )   The Assembly or appropriate body investigated by the Commissioner shall publish a response within six months.”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, this amendment is about the publication of the annual report by the Commissioner for Older People in Wales. We had this discussion in connection with the Public Services Ombudsman and it was agreed in that case that a report would be produced. For transparency’s sake, we need to know exactly what the commissioner is doing. We need to know how the resources are being used and whether this post is resourced adequately. We also might want to find out whether the commissioner feels that his hands are tied behind his back because he cannot deal with so many problems. He might say, as the CAB tells us, ““We had 88,000 queries regarding pensions, but I couldn’t deal with that: it wasn’t in my remit””. Or he might say, ““We had 6,000 questions regarding taxation for elderly people, but I couldn’t deal with that: it wasn’t in my remit””. If we have a report, it will show the weaknesses and the strengths of this particular post at this particular time. As has been said many times, justice must be seen to be done. We therefore ask the Government to agree to an annual report which will show the experience of the post and how it can be increasingly effective as the years go on. Similarly, the next part of the amendment would require the publication of the response of those who are investigated by the commissioner. They should be given an opportunity to admit their faults, or even to justify the action that they have taken. I beg to move.