Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether social care staff in the private sector will be eligible for the life assurance scheme announced in response to covid-19 outbreak.

The Government is in the process of setting up a life assurance scheme for frontline health and social care staff who contract COVID-19 during the course of their work.

The scheme provides a benefit to the families of staff who are supporting the delivery of publicly funded services.

Staff are covered by the scheme providing their employer is in receipt of public funding for providing services. The majority of adult social care providers are private employers in receipt of some public funding.

The social care sector is complex, and we want to continue to work with the sector to fully understand any issues around eligibility.