:00:20. > :00:24.We support wholeheartedly the implementation of the improved
:00:25. > :00:33.rights for carers, that is by the care act of 2014. Providing funding
:00:34. > :00:36.to local authorities. We are committed to continue to improve
:00:37. > :00:42.support for carers through the publication of a new national
:00:43. > :00:50.strategy by the end of 2016. I thank the Minister for his response.
:00:51. > :00:54.Research shows that the older the carer, the more hours of care they
:00:55. > :00:59.provide and that surely cannot be right. Many carers over 80 are
:01:00. > :01:04.providing as much as 50 hours of care a week, often without support
:01:05. > :01:08.because they do not beat the new eligibility criteria and councils do
:01:09. > :01:10.not have the money in their budgets. Will the Minister undertake to
:01:11. > :01:17.ensure the new carers strategy tackles these high and increasing
:01:18. > :01:21.demands of unmet demand and the councils across the country having
:01:22. > :01:25.to cut back on carer support what specific support and funding will
:01:26. > :01:32.the government provide to help them offer real support to carers? She is
:01:33. > :01:37.absolutely right, Delhi half a million people over the age of 80
:01:38. > :01:45.providing over 35 hours a week. -- nearly half a million. It is a huge
:01:46. > :01:49.commitment, that often has profound implications on their own health and
:01:50. > :01:56.well-being. So I think we are all singing from the same hymn sheet and
:01:57. > :01:58.I'm sure that the carers strategy will address the particular
:01:59. > :02:10.requirements of that age group. The government will continue to support
:02:11. > :02:15.the rights of carers. The research report for carers last week reported
:02:16. > :02:20.that approaching half of older carers had not been offered an
:02:21. > :02:24.annual health check by their GP and also about half of older carers said
:02:25. > :02:29.their GP practice had not told them where they could find help. What is
:02:30. > :02:32.the government doing to encourage primary care to make sure that older
:02:33. > :02:39.carers get access to annual health checks and support? Clearly it is
:02:40. > :02:46.essential that older people do have access to at least annual checkups
:02:47. > :02:51.from their GPs and I think part of this review, a large part of it will
:02:52. > :02:54.be how we signpost and informed people of the need to have these
:02:55. > :03:02.health checkups. I'm sure that will be a part of the strategy announced
:03:03. > :03:08.at the end of the year. Under the new legislation care and support
:03:09. > :03:14.act, carers have a right to an assessment of their needs. Could the
:03:15. > :03:17.noble lord the Minister Ashour the House that those needs would not
:03:18. > :03:22.just be assessed, but would also have an asked resources put into the
:03:23. > :03:31.system -- enough, so that their needs can be met? Under the care
:03:32. > :03:34.act, there is an assessment, eligibility criteria and a support
:03:35. > :03:39.plan. There is clearly no point having a plan without the support.
:03:40. > :03:45.Well the Government instead of setting up a review, independent
:03:46. > :03:48.review to look at the source of budgets that local authorities
:03:49. > :03:56.required to ask to provide a decent service? As part of the consultation
:03:57. > :03:59.that has been conducted this year in preparation for the strategy at the
:04:00. > :04:03.end of the year, the Government have called for evidence, looking at
:04:04. > :04:08.international comparisons but also an economic review, which I think
:04:09. > :04:15.will take into the account the issues that the noble Lord races.
:04:16. > :04:21.What the noble Lord of the Minister in recognising the serious concerns
:04:22. > :04:26.about people over 80 and people under 18 with health needs
:04:27. > :04:34.themselves face, good he also assure us that the review will have regard
:04:35. > :04:43.to the number of children who are themselves carers for adult members
:04:44. > :04:51.of their family? Because too many of those children have needs of the
:04:52. > :04:55.parent assessed, quite rightly, but the needs of the child concerned
:04:56. > :05:01.with the children is not always taken into account. Can he have an
:05:02. > :05:06.assurance that the new strategy will cover both my noble friend's
:05:07. > :05:13.question and concern, and those of children? She is absolutely right,
:05:14. > :05:17.there are tens of thousands of children who have very substantial
:05:18. > :05:24.caring responsibilities for their parents or their grandparents. And
:05:25. > :05:29.the impact of them on their education and future careers is
:05:30. > :05:33.certainly something this House will want to take into account. The
:05:34. > :05:36.children and families act set out the rights of children, but we need
:05:37. > :05:47.to assess them carefully in the forthcoming strategy.
:05:48. > :05:52.Surely the carers over 80 are saving the economy by offering their
:05:53. > :05:59.services? I cannot give a figure for those over 80 but I think the total
:06:00. > :06:06.amount of money, insofar as you can monetise something like this, the
:06:07. > :06:11.total figure for all unpaid carers is estimated to be around ?1.3
:06:12. > :06:23.billion a year. My Lords, does the Minister recognise... My Lords,...
:06:24. > :06:27.I'm sorry, we have not heard from the Conservative benches although I
:06:28. > :06:35.recognise there have been a series of Labour appears. Does the Minister
:06:36. > :06:39.recognise that there are large numbers of people, older people, who
:06:40. > :06:42.simply look after each other? This is that the heart of the institution
:06:43. > :06:48.of marriage and they may not be registered as a carer because, if
:06:49. > :06:53.you like, they are of similar age and shape. But I think it is the
:06:54. > :06:59.whole issue, it is not just about the situation of the parents, but
:07:00. > :07:03.about all the people who happily look after each other in their old
:07:04. > :07:08.age. Yes, I think we are talking about not just people who are
:07:09. > :07:11.registered carers at people in particular, whether it is in
:07:12. > :07:16.marriage or a long-term partnership, where older people are looking after
:07:17. > :07:21.each other. And that is something that cannot be monetised, it is part
:07:22. > :07:25.of a loving relationship. One of the tragedy is sometimes of a caring
:07:26. > :07:29.relationship, it can change that relationship of a husband and wife
:07:30. > :07:36.to be one of a carer and a cared for. It can meet quite difficult
:07:37. > :07:39.psychological impact on individuals. Is there any plans to provide
:07:40. > :07:42.respite care for carers, particularly where there are
:07:43. > :07:48.significant disabilities involved with the person being cared for?
:07:49. > :07:53.Respite care is hugely important and the better care fund invites about
:07:54. > :08:01.?130 million a year for respite care. I think giving people time out
:08:02. > :08:06.is hugely important. I beg leave to ask the question is running in my
:08:07. > :08:10.name on the order paper. My Lords, taking as a democracy with
:08:11. > :08:14.multiparty elections whose Government has been democratically
:08:15. > :08:19.elected, in some areas, progress has been made on fundamental freedoms in
:08:20. > :08:21.recent years. But as the European Commission has highlighted, there
:08:22. > :08:26.has also been significant backsliding. As a friend and ally,
:08:27. > :08:30.we strongly encourage Turkey to continue to work towards the full
:08:31. > :08:38.protection of all Civil Liberties and will continue to do so. Turkey
:08:39. > :08:41.is a much valued member of Nato, most valued ally to this country and
:08:42. > :08:45.vital for any solution to the crisis in the eastern Mediterranean. So
:08:46. > :08:51.will the Minister join with me in condemning a shameless and
:08:52. > :08:55.irresponsible lie that Turkey is joining the EU and the EU is about
:08:56. > :08:59.to be flooded by Turkish criminals? Is not the best way of engaging
:09:00. > :09:02.taking on civil rights and democratic governance precisely
:09:03. > :09:09.through the EU membership negotiations? My Lords, I certainly
:09:10. > :09:14.support the noble Lord in his wish to put the record straight, which he
:09:15. > :09:18.has done. The Prime Minister yesterday made it clear that
:09:19. > :09:24.although we continue to support Turkey's accession process, at their
:09:25. > :09:28.current rate of knots, they will not achieve accession until the year
:09:29. > :09:37.3000 and along the way, every single member of the European Union, which
:09:38. > :09:42.includes cars, has right of veto. When can I ask my noble friend the
:09:43. > :09:48.Minister whether representations could be made about the increasing
:09:49. > :09:54.authoritarianism we see in Ankara these days, and in particular the
:09:55. > :10:00.threats the HDPE party, which are arising from the recent lifting of
:10:01. > :10:03.Parliamentary immunity, did the Minister make -- confound that
:10:04. > :10:10.things are not helped when it seems that confidential telegrams are
:10:11. > :10:15.leaked to the press? Will they review the level of security
:10:16. > :10:22.governing the telegrams going to and from Ankara? My noble friend is
:10:23. > :10:29.right to draw attention to the issue of Parliamentary impunity of MPs. I
:10:30. > :10:34.understand that was signed into law last week and it is a matter of
:10:35. > :10:36.concern will stop -- concern.