Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to prevent abuse of social care staff, including threatening unemployment, wage theft, and abuse of overtime.

The Department works closely with regulators, local authorities, other departments, and enforcement bodies to share concerns and intelligence about illegal or unethical practices in adult social care.

The Government is creating the Fair Work Agency (FWA) to simplify the labour market enforcement system and build an economy based on fair competition and fair reward for hard work. It will bring enforcement functions of three existing bodies together, into one place, so employment rights are enforced more effectively and efficiently.

The FWA will be responsible for enforcing domestic agency rules, the national minimum wage, licensing standards for gangmasters, and acting against serious labour exploitation.

The FWA will be implemented in phases following Royal Assent of the Employment Rights Bill, with the FWA being established in April 2026.