Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2018 to Question 196217 on Social Services, whether he plans to publish his green paper before 31 December 2018.

An ageing society means that we need to reach a longer-term sustainable settlement for social care and we recognise that parliamentary colleagues will wish to engage thoroughly in the debate following publication. Therefore, given wider events, we will be publishing the Adult Social Care Green Paper at the earliest opportunity in the new year.