Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to provide financial assistance to the care sector as a result of under occupancy in care homes following the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has taken significant steps to provide financial support for public services during COVID-19, including making £3.2 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.

Furthermore, on 15 May we published details of an additional £600 million Infection Control Fund for Adult Social Care to support adult social care providers in England reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and to support workforce resilience. The government will continue to monitor pressures in the National Health Service and local government and will keep future funding under review.