Work and Families Bill

I am very pleased to welcome another progressive Bill. Last week, we considered the Childcare Bill, and we recently considered the Equality Bill. All these Bills will contribute to a healthier, happier society and to the country’s economic prosperity by ensuring a diverse and more contented work force; they will also ensure that the diverse needs of parents and carers are more recognised than ever. I want in particular to discuss clause 12 and the part of the Bill that deals with carers of adults. I am very pleased that the existing law will be amended so that carers of adults can apply for flexible working. I must declare an interest, in that I have been the carer of my 94-year-old mother for five years, since she was severely disabled by a stroke. I have managed to continue in the very demanding job of Member of Parliament with the help of an army of paid carers—I pay tribute to the people, mainly women, who work in the caring professions—and with a lot of understanding and support both here and at home. However, I meet many carers who are isolated and are struggling to do their best for their relatives, often at the expense of their own health and well-being. It is well recognised that the health of carers suffers; most reports on carers have shown the strain that caring for somebody can impose. Many carers are in employment and have to give up their job because they cannot manage both roles. There is now much greater recognition of the importance of caring for older and disabled people, but, as I said in an earlier intervention, many carers do not think of themselves as carers in a formal sense; they think of carers as being paid people. They are doing what they regard as their duty, and what they want to do for members of their family—for people whom they love. Nor do the many people who are working and caring for adults recognise their huge contribution to the welfare state—the billions of pounds that they save the welfare state. The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill, which was introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Dr. Francis), recognised the need for carers to have access to the education and employment opportunities enjoyed by those who are not carers. This Bill partly addresses that issue. The Employment Act 2002 introduced flexible working rights for parents of young or disabled children and, as everybody has said today, that has been a success, despite concerns that it granted only the right to make the request. I was very concerned at the time of the debate on the Act that the provision would not be strong enough and that employers would not respond properly. The employer has to consider the request and take certain factors into consideration when deciding whether to allow flexible working. In any case, as many hon. Members have said, the Act has been a tremendous success and only about 10 per cent. of requests are refused. The Government did the right thing, because the Act has made it much easier for parents of young or disabled children to continue to work. It has also brought benefits for the employer. I declare an interest, as my two daughters have benefited from the provision. After they had children, they requested flexible working and benefited from it. It is logical, therefore, that the right to request flexible working should be extended to carers of adult relatives or others, and I am pleased that the Government propose to introduce that right from April 2007. Several hon. Members have suggested that the right to request flexible working should be extended to all employees, and I believe that the consultation by the Equal Opportunities Commission has reached that conclusion. When we talk about family friendly policies, we tend to think of the family as a unit with dependent children, but in the UK more adults care for elderly relatives than for children. The Government have concentrated on work-life balance as one of their priorities, the benefits of which are as great for the carers of adults as they are for the carers of children. Many hon. Members have mentioned the benefits to employers of family friendly practices, such as reduced sickness absence, better staff retention, greater productivity, and better morale and commitment. Those are real and important points. I remember the stress of juggling bringing up children and working as a local authority social worker. When the Government first took office, we undertook a major consultation of women, and it revealed that work-life balance was one of the primary concerns. Women wanted us to do something about it, and all the measures in the Bill will help. They will also involve fathers more meaningfully, and I very much welcome the paternity leave provisions. I am glad that the Government recognise that families are not just those with children. My hon. Friend the Minister and other hon. Members spoke of the importance of the definition of ““carer””. I hope that the definition will be flexible and will take into account the many varied ways in which carers cope and provide support. I was pleased to hear my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State say that a carer does not necessarily have to live in the same house as the person for whom he or she cares. I can think of many carers in my constituency who hold down full-time jobs yet support elderly or disabled parents in their own homes. I hope that such carers will benefit from the Bill. It is also important that the Government consult closely with carers’ groups. The UK has some well established carers’ groups, such as Carers UK, whose members know the reality of caring. We will have to consider their needs when we examine how clause 12 will work in practice. One of the big issues for carers who care for adults is lack of sleep. We all go through sleep deprivation when we have small children and, like many, I am used to getting up frequently in the night. However, if one has to do it for an adult, one knows that the situation will not change—indeed, it may get worse, not better—but children grow out of it and allow their carer to have a good night’s sleep. However, it is difficult to give one’s best to one’s job without a good night’s sleep and we need to talk about that issue with carers. The lack of sleep is one of the major issues raised with me by carers in my constituency. We must take such issues on board. People cope with caring in many varied ways, and we have to try to address that. It will not be easy, and the regulations will have to be as flexible as possible. Presumably, we will have to consider the amount of time that people spend caring. Some, for example, are not actually physically present, but keep in frequent phone contact to check whether everything is okay. They may get a response that means that they have to alter the pattern of their day, so we will need to be flexible to address that issue. I congratulate the Government on the Bill, especially clause 12, and I think that we are making progress towards a society in which everyone can make a greater contribution than they have been able to make in the past. The Bill will be of benefit to society as a whole.