Independent Commission on Adult Social Care

Lord Kamall Excerpts

Wednesday 17th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

In many ways, despite all the challenges, we are entering an interesting and exciting phase in terms of new technologies, digital awareness and understanding how we can better engineer communication, for example. The noble Baroness is of course absolutely right that everyone deserves to have access to those opportunities, but we need to make sure that everyone is known, their needs are known, and the support is there so that they can thrive.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My Lords, I just continue the theme that the noble Lord, Lord Laming, referred to about not writing people off. Quite often, when we try to help people into work, we talk about work, but there are many entrepreneurs who may not be able to get into work because of a mental or physical disability but are able to start businesses. Is the noble Baroness aware of an organisation called Purple Shoots? It offers loans of between £500 and £3,000 and mentoring to people to help them to start businesses. I met one person who had been helped; they were wheelchair bound, they took themselves off benefits, took eight other people off benefits and showed the positive role of entrepreneurship. The problem is that such organisations do not get any lottery funding. Can she speak to her colleagues in DWP and DCMS to make sure that organisations such as Purple Shoots and Trust Leeds, which she may know, get that sort of funding?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Lord has made me aware of Purple Shoots on other occasions and, to broaden things out slightly, this links to the NHS 10-year plan in terms of shifting more resources into the communities so that organisations can thrive and benefit and reach people who need them. I am absolutely happy to pass on that information.