Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 34:"Page 13, line 37, leave out ““60”” and insert ““50””" The noble Lord said: My Lords, this is a very contentious issue. The Government’s strategy document for older people, Opportunity Age—Meeting the challenges of ageing in the 21st century, which has been my bedside reading for the past few weeks, was referred to by the Minister and me in Committee. It sets the starting age limit at age 50. In Committee, the Minister agreed with me that from the age of 50 serious issues of disadvantage and discrimination affect some people as they move towards old age. The noble Lord’s argument for maintaining the threshold at 60 in the Bill—and not moving to 50—is that the commissioner’s primary duty is to protect those who receive services as older people in Wales. Generally, the provision of services begins at that age. The needs of those aged between 50 and 60 will be provided for, I assume, by the general developments within that strategy document. The Minister acknowledges the importance of supporting the over-50s as an age group that is vulnerable to the onslaught of what one might call the concomitant disadvantages of old age. It is an age-group that the White Paper acknowledges has, for example, a lower than average level of employment. My argument is that once the strategy starts providing for people’s needs, by definition, it is a service. Such provision would fit very snugly under the commissioner’s remit in Wales without argument about devolved or non-devolved areas. If the strategy does not serve a purpose, we may well wonder what it does, apart from being a statement of intent. Another point that arises is the tremendous emphasis in Opportunity Age on 50 as the starting age. Would it be fair to Welsh people who are over 50 if their English neighbours of that age are entitled to different and special support and treatment? England may well decide to give over-50s special services. Would the Welsh qualify? If not, would that put the commissioner in Wales, and the Welsh people, very much out of kilter with those in England? Surely that would be an undesirable effect of devolution. Addressing the needs of those aged 50 and over is a matter of anticipation and it is written into Opportunity Age, which is a key government document. To take a decision that goes against the content of that White Paper is asking for trouble. I rest my case, and ask the Government to consider again the starting age of 60 and to replace it with 50, as England has already done. I beg to move.