Work and Families Bill

And probably costs much more, but we will not go there. On Second Reading, I referred to surrogate parents. The Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe), wrote to me with detailed reasons as to why, in his opinion, the provisions relating to them should be introduced. I was not entirely convinced by his argument. Society is changing and the numbers involved would be low, although they may increase in future—I do not have a crystal ball so I do not know. Only a small group of people are involved and their situation is very similar to that of adoptive parents, so I hope that it can be reconsidered in a future review. I accept that we cannot do everything at once. We have heard about the impact on business. That is a relevant consideration. Business is in many ways the lifeblood of the nation—we need business to give employment, to create wealth—and we must be careful of the impact. Again, we must see how that beds in over the years. It is unfortunate that new clause 1 was not passed, because it would have allowed some of the administration to be transferred to the Inland Revenue. Again, that issue may have to be reviewed, because of the impact on small businesses. Those of us who have run small businesses know what it is like to deal with both the business and the huge amount of associated red tape and regulation. Family-friendly hours are important. If Ministers wish to push that issue further forward, I make the small suggestion that they should have a chat with the Leader of the House to see whether he could align recesses more with school holidays in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as that would help many hon. Members considerably—just a quick, self-interested suggestion. The other part of the Bill to which I give a warm welcome is the right to request flexible working. Although the right is fairly restricted—it is only a right to request—it is an important step forward. I had a meeting with carers in my constituency last Friday to discuss the report, ““Care 21: Exploring the Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland””, which has been commissioned by the Scottish Executive. The phrase ““unpaid care”” gives hon. Members an idea—