Response to the Richard Commission Consultation July
2003
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Help the Aged
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| Help the Aged welcomes
the opportunity to take part in this consultation and
to have participated in the Public Meeting held in Cardiff
on 10th July which was both interesting and informative.
Whilst taking the view that Help the Aged can make only
a limited contribution to this debate, we would wish in
this response to highlight a number of key areas where
we believe the current working arrangements are not serving
the best interests of older people. However, it is also
important to put on record our view that the Assembly's
creation has been a significant and important step in
introducing democratic accountability to the people of
Wales- of whom an increasing proportion are of course
older people -and it is the older people that are more
likely to use their voting power and, therefore, ultimately
provide the Assembly with its mandate. |
| Help the Aged welcomes the opportunity
to take part in this consultation and to have participated
in the Public Meeting held in Cardiff on 10th July which
was both interesting and informative. Whilst taking the
view that Help the Aged can make only a limited contribution
to this debate, we would wish in this response to highlight
a number of key areas where we believe the current working
arrangements are not serving the best interests of older
people. However, it is also important to put on record
our view that the Assembly's creation has been a significant
and important step in introducing democratic accountability
to the people of Wales- of whom an increasing proportion
are of course older people -and it is the older people
that are more likely to use their voting power and, therefore,
ultimately provide the Assembly with its mandate. |
| The current devolution
settlement has also led to an increasing devolvement of
the activities and governance of UK Charities with corresponding
benefits to those with whom we work. The new style of
government has enabled us to develop close and valued
working relationships with Assembly Members and Civil
Servants in a way that was not possible with the more
distant power structures in Westminster and a Welsh Office
that had no local mandate. |
| Although there have been
significant achievements arising from this partnership
approach to policy making, as exemplified, for instance
by the Strategy for Older People, there are areas where
the Assembly has been constrained from taking action by
the limits on its legislative powers and lack of tax varying
powers. These constraints have meant that the Assembly
has had to compromise, at best, on crucial policy areas
that have serious impact on older people. This is illustrated
by three examples below: |
| The free long term care
debate (as per the recommendations made by the Royal Commission
on Long Term Care, 1999) where the Assembly has accepted
the issue in principle, as from May 2002, but is unable
to implement it in practice due to the lack of tax varying
powers. Thus the Assembly's action is limited to lobbying
of the UK Government only. The effectiveness of lobbying
comes sharply into question when comparing the impact
that lobbying has in contrast to actually having the ability
to implement the policy itself and deliver free long term
care. Moreover, the implementation of free long term care,
as a single issue affecting only a proportion of the population,
has unddrgone a steady decline in the Assembly's priority
agenda and, therefore, relying on lobbying as the only
tool for implementing change becomes a nullified process. |
| A second example is lacking
the powers to introduce legislation in relation to Age
Discrimination in all areas of goods services and facilities,
in order for the Assembly to implement effectively its
own Equal Opportunities agenda. This can lead to mixed
messages being given and a failure to 'grasp the nettle'
and legislate not only on an issue of proven concern to
people in Wales - the eradication of age discrimination,
but indeed an issue that is key in underpinning a national
policy initiative such as the Strategy for Older People.
Again, the lack of legislative powers in this area affects
the effectiveness of delivery and impact of such a strategy. |
| A third example is illustrated
by the Health Ombudsman's decision, earlier this year,
on the unlawful charging for nursing care. This is an
issue of crucial importance to older people and one where
the Assembly was reduced to the rather humbling position
of having to await guidance on this issue from the UK
Government when greater powers could have led to immediate
and more decisive action. |
| Whilst the Assembly has
made many advancements in relation to Fuel Poverty, Housing
and Homelessness, the inability to set national targets
in statute exemplify the limited ability that the Assembly
has to enact change in a more robust and effective manner
in these areas of devolved policy. Mental Incapacity is
another policy area where further legislative powers would
enable the Assembly to implement change more effectively
for the benefit of older people. |
| As a campaigning organisation
it is clearly important that we are able to target our
resources effectively when it comes to lobbying for changes
that will benefit the lives of older people in Wales.
Any lack of clarity over whether we should be lobbying
at the -Assembly or UK Government level (or possibly both)
can be both confusing and a poor use of our limited resources. |
| Finally, whilst it is not really for us,
as a charity working with older people, to comment on
the electoral arrangements or on the overall size and
makeup of the Assembly (other than to comment on the unrealistic
deadlines and difficulties of communication with officers
that can arise at times from what we are given to understand
is a lack of capacity), the one comment that we would
emphasise is that the Assembly should have the necessary
infrastructure in place to deal effectively and fairly
with the powers with which it is ultimately vested. |
| Help the Aged July 2003. |
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