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 ensure that local authorities meet statutory duties on carer assessments under the Care Act 2014.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

To ensure local authorities are delivering adult social care to an acceptable standard, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to unpaid carers. This means that the CQC is looking at how all 153 local authorities with adult social care responsibilities are conducting carers needs assessments and supporting unpaid carers in their area. To date, the CQC has published over 40 formal assessments, with ratings of Outstanding, Good, and Requires Improvement.