Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure adequate staffing levels in the social care sector in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

The Government hugely values the contribution of the 104,000 European Union staff who work in the social care sector. The Prime Minister has made it clear that we not only want them to stay, but also to feel welcomed and encouraged to do so. The EU Settlement Scheme has now fully opened, is free and will allow EU nationals employed in the social care sector to secure their long-term status in the United Kingdom.

The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across both the health and social care sectors and we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates of European Union staff on a regular basis since the 2016 referendum. We are not complacent and have plans in place to ensure there will continue to be enough staff to deliver the high-quality services on which the public relies.