A number of people including George Young, the Conservative, Lord Young, asked these questions in the House of Lords on Monday 2nd September. Gillian Merron the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health responded. The Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun, was amongst those who contributed, it was very interesting to see his question and response which is below.

The rest of the items can be found here.

George Young: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reform social care.

Gillian Merron: My Lords, adult social care reform is critical to achieving this Government’s aim that everyone lives well for longer. Our vision is to create a national care service underpinned by national standards and delivered locally, supporting people to live independently for as long as possible. We will also establish the first-ever fair pay agreement for care professionals. We will engage widely with the sector and people with lived experience to inform these plans.

Christopher Chessun: My Lords, I welcome the Minister to her post. Does she recognise that one principal reason why fundamental issues around adult social care have not been addressed in the past 25 years is not only the complexity and cost—it is because adult social care is largely invisible and lacks political priority? Do the Government intend to address this?

Gillian Merron: I thank the right reverend Prelate for his kind words of welcome. I take the point about invisibility in this area, but it would be fair to say that this Government will want to make this extremely visible. It is an issue that will not go away, and also one that is absolutely crucial, not just for those who rely on social care but for the good functioning and provision of the National Health Service. The two are inextricably linked, and we cannot sort out one without the other.