Work and Families Bill

I will be brief, in order to allow the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Mrs. Laing) to attend the parents evening at her son’s school. I am pleased to speak on Third Reading, and I congratulate the Government on yet another step forward to a family-friendly, more equal society, in tune with modern life. Along with all the other progressive legislation that we have introduced or are in the process of introducing—such as the Equality Bill and the Childcare Bill—this Bill will move us towards a more equal society. It is very important, and I was glad to serve on the Committee. As has been said, much of the detail of the Bill has been left to regulation, and I accept my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s comments that that must be done carefully and that time is needed, but that there will be the opportunity for further discussion if necessary. I particularly support the extension of the right to request flexible working to adults. As a carer myself, I spoke on Second Reading about the specific needs of carers, and I am anxious that the consultation on the regulations should give detailed consideration to the definition of a carer. It should be as wide and as flexible as possible. We have all received very good briefings from Carers UK telling us that caring is not the same as child care. Different needs are involved, and different factors must be taken into account. When the regulations are considered, it should be borne in mind that some of those who are cared for may suffer from deteriorating conditions. I am glad that we may have an opportunity to comment on the regulations, and I hope that the consultation will be as broad as possible. At present, the right to request flexible working extends only to children under six unless the children are disabled. The Government do not plan to raise that age. As a Government, we have made tremendous progress towards considering the needs of parents, families and people with disabled and elderly relatives in an entirely new way. I hope that we have taken a step towards enabling all families with children of all ages to request flexible working. We all know that children’s needs may be even greater when they are older than when they are babies or toddlers. Parents may be more likely to know where there children are when they are little. Different needs arise at different stages of the family cycle. I hope that the Bill will lead to circumstances in which everyone can combine work and family life to the benefit of all, and I hope that we shall be able to discuss that possibility in the future. Businesses that already employ people who are carers have found it profitable to consider their rights and needs. I have encountered general support for the Bill among businesses, but I accept that we must consider their needs as well, and work with them to ensure that the fairer, more equal society for which we are working takes those needs into account. I strongly support the Bill. It contains excellent provisions. I should like some of them to go further, but the Bill is nevertheless a tremendous step forward.