Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is undertaking to ensure that children’s social care workers who have no recourse to public funds restrictions on their passports will be able to access Government assistance in the event that they need to self-isolate and are unable to work during the covid-19 outbreak.

The government has introduced a range of measures to provide assistance for those affected by COVID-19, including those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

COVID-19 has been added to the list of communicable diseases so anyone experiencing symptoms, regardless of their immigration status, will be treated for free.

Eligible individuals with NRPF can also benefit from the unprecedented levels of support the government is now also providing through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The government has also extended Statutory Sick Pay to be payable from Day 1 rather than Day 4 and made Contributory Employment and Support Allowance available from the first day of sickness rather than the eighth, subject to other eligibility criteria.