Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) increase pay and (b) improve working conditions in the social care sector.

The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and conditions, independent of central Government.

We have taken steps to support the social care sector during the pandemic, ring-fencing almost £1.8 billion of dedicated funding. This includes infection control funding that can be used on measures such as helping maintain the normal wages of staff who may need to self-isolate. Furthermore, to support the wellbeing of social care workers we have provided a package of emotional, psychological and practical resources throughout the pandemic.

The Government is committed to sustainable improvement of the adult social care system and will bring forward plans for workforce reform in 2021.