Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their new post-Brexit fast track visa system on the availability of care workers in the UK; and what plans they have to ensure that those care workers currently resident in the UK who would not qualify for a visa under that system can continue to work in this country.

The social care sector is invaluable to our country. Social care workers have shown incredible dedication during this extraordinary time.

We truly value the work they are doing, which is why the Government set out steps in our Action Plan for Adult Social Care to support the workforce, ensuring we have the staff we need and that they feel both supported and valued.

However, the independent Migration Advisory Committee has been very clear that immigration is not the answer to the challenges in this sector. As we implement the new immigration system, we want employers to focus on investing in our domestic work force.

The Government is working with the sector in a number of ways to help support it during this difficult time and going forward, including extra funding and a national recruitment campaign.

Additionally, the EU Settlement Scheme means that all EU and EAA citizens, and their family members, already in the UK, many of them working in social care, can stay in the UK and we are encouraging them to do so.

We will keep labour market data under very careful scrutiny to monitor any pressures in key sectors, especially considering recent events.