The Guardian, London announced on January 9, 2008, that Ruth Marks had been named commissioner for older people in Wales, thought to be the first post of its kind. Marks' role is to promote and safeguard the interests of people over 60.
Ruth Marks tells Alexandra Topping in an interview published on January 16, 2008 how she intends to reach out to pensioners - and then 'politely, professionally and robustly' put their welfare at the top of the agenda
LONDON (The Guardian), January 16, 2008:
Is Ruth Marks charming? The question stops the first commissioner for older people in Wales, and Britain, in her tracks. She bursts out laughing. "Ask my staff," she says. "Or my mum." It is a seemingly flippant question, but an important one. Employed to be the voice and champion of older people throughout Wales, Marks will have to use all her charm and perseverance with the Welsh assembly and in the media to have a real impact.
Sitting in the offices of the Royal National Institute of Blind People Cymru, in Cardiff, where she will remain as director until she takes up the reins in April, Marks insists that she does not want to be seen simply as the boss of a headline-grabbing talking shop. "I don't want to be a 'so-what'," she says. "I want to be relevant, open and transparent. This has to mean something to people."
The creation of a commissioner for older people follows the appointment in 2001 of the first children's commissioner for Wales - a result of the Waterhouse inquiry into child abuse in children's homes in north Wales. Welcomed as a pioneering moment in children's rights by some in the sector, there are others who see the role as a wasted opportunity, with a lot of bark but little bite.
However, the move to create a figurehead representing older people has been widely welcomed in the sector. "We have given her a warm welcome," says Michael Phillips, spokesman for Age Concern Cymru. "There is a lot to be done to tackle poverty and discrimination, but it is a positive move. There is a danger of trying to do too much too soon, but she does need some early successes to inspire the rest of Wales and get people on her side."
Just four months before she is due to take up the role, Marks is pragmatic about what she can achieve with her £1.5m budget. "In 12 months' time I want to be able to say, hand on heart, that every person in Wales knows there is a commissioner for older people, how to get hold of me and what I can - and can't - do," she says.From the outset, Marks plans to put older people at the heart of her office's decision making and will kick off the year with an intensive round of consultations. "I'll go where older people go," she says. "Libraries, post offices, local shops, agricultural shows, and will work with other agencies to make sure the voices of harder-to-reach people are heard."
Her aims are to tackle age discrimination; to challenge all public bodies in Wales to do better by older people; to ensure that older people are not abused or neglected; and that they are involved in the decisions that affect their lives. On specific policy, Marks is vague. "It would be wrong of me to set out my work programme now," she says. "I'll take up the post in April and will talk to older people all over Wales to see what they think my priorities should be."
Gaps in policy
On means testing she does admit there needs to be "serious policy work" and says the fact that around 40% of pensioners in private households fail to claim the pension credit that would lift 30,000 of them out of poverty is "absolutely appalling". But how these problems will be addressed remains to be seen. Despite a wariness of committing herself to particular issues before starting the job, Marks does promise to be "an independent voice with the powers and opportunity to investigate and drill down where gaps in policy are evident".
In Wales, 22% of the population is over 60, a figure that is expected to rise to 29% in 20 years. In the same period, the proportion of over-85s may rise by a third. This growing and influential section of society has too often been overlooked and marginalised, says Marks. "We have to bust myths about older people and recognise the contribution they make to the economy and society at large."
A distinct change in societal attitudes has had a detrimental effect on older people, she adds. "In previous generations, families lived closer together and took an active role in caring for each other. People often no longer have that close interaction, and gaps have appeared." This has put pressure on local services and health provision, the quality of which "is not what it should be", she says.
At 46, some people - perhaps the very people she is charged with representing - might argue that she is too young for the job. But Marks counters that she has more than 20 years' experience working at a senior level. Two years as director of RNIB Cymru and six years as chief executive of Chwarae Teg (Fair Play), which promotes women in the workforce in Wales, have given her a bulging contacts' book and experience of getting marginalised issues on to the agenda. "This is a massive role, but I have empathy and knowledge of the issues facing older people and can put them into the Welsh economic and political context," she says.
Marks will have the power to "promote the rights and welfare of older people" and report on the status quo, but the Welsh assembly will be under no obligation to implement her recommendations. Without any legislative power, does she think setting up the commissioner role could be seen as a stunt? "Absolutely not. If I thought it was a stunt I wouldn't be doing it. Like first minister, Rhodri Morgan said, it would be very strange to appoint me if they weren't going to listen to what I said."
Diplomacy and persistence
She hopes her combined powers of diplomacy and persistence will force decision-makers to take note. "If we are ignored, or put at the bottom of the pile, we must not give way. We will politely and professionally, but robustly, come back to the issues again and again." She also believes that working in close partnership with other voluntary and statutory bodies will make any research difficult to ignore.
There are no plans to create a commissioner for older people in England, though the Northern Ireland assembly is thought to be considering creating a similar post. Does she believe every region should have a commissioner? "I think it's the right thing for people in Wales, so why not for the rest of the UK? But that's for the other regions to reflect on, not me."
Is she daunted by the task ahead? "I recognise how huge it is, but I'm not daunted. I'm absolutely excited - it's a huge challenge, but a huge opportunity, and I'm convinced I can make a difference."
Read Ruth Marks' CV
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
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Role of the Commissioner
The role of the Commissioner is to ensure that the interests of older people in Wales, who are aged 60 or more, are safeguarded and promoted. The Commissioner, as an ambassador and authority on older people’s issues, will speak up on behalf of older people, who deserve a stronger voice about the services they receive and the needs they have.
The Commissioner will be a source of information, advocacy and support for older people in Wales and their representatives. As well as looking at the interests of older people as a whole, she will also be able to look at:
the cases of individual older people in certain circumstances, such as where the case raises issues that may have a wider impact on older people
the effect that public bodies, such as the Assembly Government, Local Government, and the NHS, have on older people, and may publish reports, making recommendations for change
the providers of regulated services across Wales, issuing guidance on best practice to ensure that they safeguard and promote the interests of older people.
The Commissioner may also help individuals to make a complaint about the services provided.
The Commissioner will be able to look at the way in which a local authority, or health body, implements the policies and procedures that it has put in place for dealing with elder abuse. If these were not being carried out effectively, she could hold authorities to account.
Perhaps most importantly, the Commissioner will work to ensure that older people themselves can influence the way in which important public services are managed and delivered in Wales.
The Commissioner has been appointed for a term of four years, renewable once.
Source: Website of Welsh Government
