Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the continued need for Care Act 2014 easements in the Coronavirus Act 2020.

The Care Act 2014 easements provision in the Coronavirus Act 2020 was intended as a temporary measure to help local authorities continue to meet the most urgent needs in the face of COVID-19. Our most recent two-monthly review of the provision sought views from across the adult social care sector, including care providers, local authorities, and groups representing recipients of care and support. This review concluded that the easements are no longer needed. For this reason, we considered it appropriate to expire the provision and regulations were laid on 21 April 2021 using the draft affirmative procedure.