Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason her Department has indefinitely delayed the introduction of the Liberty Protection Standards.

The difficult decision to delay the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards was not taken lightly. We have done so to enable the Department, and local partners, to prioritise the reforms set out in the Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care plan. These include investment in the workforce, technology, and support for unpaid carers.

These priorities, alongside the funding uplift of up to £8.1 billion over this year and next to strengthen adult social care provision, will drive forward our ambition of ensuring that everyone can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Until the Liberty Protection Safeguards come into force, the existing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, which form a key part of the Mental Capacity Act, remain in place and ensure that decisions are made in a person's best interests.