Human Rights Act 1998 (Meaning of Public Authority) Bill

My right hon. Friend is right. Private care homes are treated in exactly the same way as local authority homes. Ironically, the inspection regime was always applicable to private homes, but until recently, under legislation introduced in the past eight years, it was not applicable in the same way to local authority-run homes. There is now fairness in that respect. My right hon. Friend is right to remind the House that we must not take discussions of proposed legislation such as this Bill as an opportunity to attack private care homes. I know from personal experience as both a Minister and a shadow Minister that the majority of care homes in our country do a fantastic job in providing care and a genuine home environment for some of the most frail and vulnerable members of society. Among those who work in them—as among those who work in all other such walks of life—there is always a small minority that brings shame on the services they provide, but all too often the attention is focused on them and the fantastic work of good care home owners and their staff is forgotten. The issue of abuse in care homes needs to be addressed, as was highlighted by yesterday’s significant report, but that must not be used as a stick to beat this dedicated group of people who provide much genuine care for our elderly population. We must be careful not to overestimate the potential impact of the Bill, given that private and state-run care homes have an identical level of inspection through the Commission for Social Care Inspection. We must not vilify private care home providers, the vast majority of whom provide excellent and considered care for their residents. I broadly welcome the Bill, although some aspects of it will need to be carefully examined in Committee.