Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

My Lords, I rise to support my noble friend. Health inequalities in Wales are still totally unacceptable, and reflect a kind of postcode shopping equivalent: often, the more deprived the area, the more elderly people are deprived of services. If the commissioner were given the specific responsibility for undertaking research of this kind to identify areas of health inequality, it would help to highlight and promote the debate and ensure action. My noble friend is right in asking the Government to make this a specific duty or responsibility of the commissioner, because it could be central to the valid work that he or she could do in addressing issues of health inequality.