As it happened: Social care reforms plan and PMQs

1. At PMQs, Boris Johnson said "all guidance was followed completely" after he was asked about whether No 10 held parties last year that breached lockdown rules
2. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the rules were "very clear" in prohibiting work Christmas lunches and parties
3. Mr Johnson added that it was important to follow guidance and wear masks on public transport and in shops to deal with the Omicron variant
4. Minister Gillian Keegan then outlined "ambitious" reforms to the social care system
5. But Labour's Liz Kendall said the plan "utterly fails to deal with the immediate pressures facing social care"
6. It comes after Tory MPs rebelled against the government in a vote approving a social care cap for England
7. Meanwhile, the government pledged to offer all adults in England a booster by 31 January amid concerns about the new variant
8. But some Tory MPs expressed anger at further Covid measures, including mandatory masks on public transport
9. Labour wanted the government to go further, saying people flying into the UK should have a PCR test before arriving
10. Leaked minutes from a meeting of the government's scientific advisers said pre-departure testing for travellers returning to the UK would be "valuable"

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Your writers today were Kate Whannel, Adam Durbin and Justin Parkinson, while your editor was Jennifer Scott.

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What happened today?

PA

It has been a busy few hours in the House of Commons, so here is a run down of what's happened:

• Labour's Sir Keir Starmer pressed Boris Johnson on whether Downing Street held a Christmas party last year, when the country was under Covid restrictions

• The PM insisted all the guidance was followed
• The Labour leader also suggested the government was trying to fulfil its manifesto pledge to build 40 new hospitals by counting renovations towards the target
• Johnson insisted the government was making "record investments" in the NHS
• The SNP's Ian Blackford also asked about the No 10 party - as well as urging the government to tighten travel rules to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant
• After PMQs, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng made a statement on Storm Arwen, promising people that power would be restored in the next day or two
• Then, Health Minister Gillian Keegan outlined the government's 10-year plan to reform social care, but Labour said it fell "short of the mark"

A vision that misses immediate bumps in the road

Alison Holt

Social affairs editor

There was a lot of hope riding on today’s announcement of government plans for adult social care.

In a care system that has been in crisis for a long time, people wanted a clear vision for the future.

The care minister said she was setting out an "ambitious" 10-year plan on an issue that other governments had ducked for too long.

The aim to provide outstanding personalised care which is fair and accessible will be welcomed, but for many in the care sector, the actual details of what is proposed are disappointing.

They argue they do nothing to fix the acute problems they face now.

They had hoped much more would be done to attract care workers, as care providers are struggling to recruit enough staff.

Council officials had asked for extra funding over winter because an estimated 400,000 people in England are either waiting for services or waiting to be assessed.

The white paper provides a future vision, but it doesn’t deal with the immediate bumps in the road ahead.

Buckland: 'Excellent initiative' to increase support for disabled people

Conservative Robert Buckland makes the last contribution to the statement, saying the proposed £300m to help local authorities for supported housing is an "excellent initiative".

The MP and former justice secretary asks how the government is going to make sure the money is used to "enrich the lives" of adults living with disabilities, adding currently they "just don't have the choice that they deserve".

Gillian Keegan praises him for all his "excellent work" on the issue of support for disabled people, adding the money is specifically to provide better support them

She adds they have also included detail in the proposal to help young adults with disabilities get into work, arguing "not enough of them are getting that support today".

'Having my own shower made me feel like a king'

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Conservative Paul Bristow tells MPs he spoke to a social care user who told him that living in supported housing "made him feel like a king" because he had access to his own private shower.

"The small differences between hospital care and being supported to live independently are striking," Bristow says.

He asks the minister to confirm that one of the aims of the government's strategy is to ensure that "people can live as independently as possible for as long as possible".

The minister agrees and says the government wants to ensure people get the right care.

Age UK: Unpaid carers at risk of collapsing this winter

The government's white paper on social care "sets out some important, long overdue policy advances", says Caroline Abrahams, director of the charity Age UK.

But, she argues, "lack of investment means any changes will be modest and slow to arrive, whereas the scale of the challenge is huge and demands urgent action now".

Abrahams demands a rise in care sector pay to tackle "chronic workforce shortages", saying pressures on staff are likely to increase if Covid surges this winter.

"There are similar concerns about unpaid carers collapsing after an unbelievably challenging 20 months too," she adds.

Tory MP: Elderly people 'languishing in hospital beds'

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Earlier, Gillian Keegan told MPs the government would be producing a separate white paper on plans to integrate the NHS and social care.

Conservative Andrew Murrison says there is "a certain irony" in having two white papers to deal with something around integration.

He asks the minister how she will solve the "crying shame of elderly and vulnerable people languishing in acute hospital beds" instead of receiving care at home or in a care home.

Gillian Keegan says this is a problem which is putting pressure on the system and that integration will help.

WATCH: 'Is that it?'

Announcement like Groundhog Day, says union

The GMB union is unimpressed by the government's announcement today on social care spending.

National officer Rachel Harrison says: “This is like groundhog day. Care workers have been waiting for the government’s plan for years - since before the last election.

“Now they’re being told they have to wait even longer for any substantial reforms."

She adds that the "catastrophic understaffing crisis" will "only get worse" unless a £15-an-hour minimum wage is introduced for care workers.

Labour MP: What help is there for unpaid carers?

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Labour's John McDonnell (also his party's former shadow chancellor) says most unpaid carers "are just trying to see how they can get through the next week" - not the next 10 years.

He asks what there is in the government's strategy that will "assist unpaid carers and lift them out of poverty".

Gillian Keegan says unpaid carers are "an essential part" of the system, adding that the government is urging local authorities to ensure respite services are "fully open".

She adds that the carers' allowance will go up in April 2022.

WATCH: 'This is a 10-year vision'

Tory MP: 'Good and steady progress' on reform

Tory MP Andrew Mitchell praises the plans, arguing they represent "good and steady progress" on reforming the social care system.

He adds that his constituency of Sutton Coldfield, given its elderly demographics, is particularly invested in the changes.

Mitchell says the UK government has come up with "coherent policies" that allow older people to live at home for as long as possible".

Gillian Keegan adds that expensive areas with older populations must enabled to live at home, using technology, adaptive housing and working with local groups and health services to achieve this.

Lib Dems: Government fiddling light bulbs on the Titanic

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Lib Dem Daisy Cooper says the minister's statement is "incredibly thin" and compares it to "fiddling with the light bulbs on the Titanic".

She says hospitals are struggling to discharge patients because the care isn't available.

And she accuses the minister of failing to "address the problem" of integration between the NHS and social care.

Gillian Keegan says the integration of health and social care is key to the government's reforms and promises MPs that a separate white paper on the issue will be coming early next year.

What's been announced today on social care?

While the government outlined its reforms in September, today it published its white paper on social care.

The white paper sets out more details of how £1bn of spending will be allocated over the next three years.

It says:

• £300m will go towards housing investment, offering people requiring care "greater choice" over where they live

• £150m will be spent on new technology to improve care quality and safety, such as acoustic sensors to monitor movement

• £500m will be invested in training and qualifications for the 1.5 million-strong social care workforce

Green: Elderly need help to live at home for longer

HOC

Conservative MP Damian Green calls for more detail on how housing and technology can be adapted to help elderly people live at home for longer.

Those who are "frail" can have a "better quality of life" if there is detailed reform in this area, he adds.

Gillian Keegan says there will be more help for supported housing and, with councils, ministers will be work on how the money can be raised for this.

Tory rebellion over social care

If you cast your minds back to last week, the government narrowly succeeded in getting MPs to back its social care cap for England, despite a significant Tory rebellion.

The Commons endorsed plans announced to exclude means-tested council support payments from a new £86,000 lifetime limit on costs,

However, 19 Conservative MPs voted against the proposal and it is believed 28 more refused to vote for it and abstained instead.

Labour and other opposition parties rejected the plan, arguing that poorer people would lose out from the change.

But Boris Johnson has insisted it is more generous than the current system, and still managed to pass the plan thanks to his large majority.

If you'd like to read more about the controversy in the commons over the social care plans, click here.

Hunt: Government plan does not give confidence

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Conservative MP - and former health secretary - Jeremy Hunt praises the social care cap, which he says will make a big difference to many people.

However, he says the government's plan "doesn't really give confidence in two crucial areas".

Firstly, he says local authorities "barely" have enough money to provide social care.

Secondly, he says it is "hard to seen an end to the workforce crisis" in the social care sector.

Minister Gillian Keegan acknowledges the government's plan is "only a start", but says the government will offer more information about money for local councils in the local government finance settlement.

On staffing problems, she says: "We do need to invest in training and learning and provide career routes."

Labour: Is that it?

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"Is that it?" asks Labour's Liz Kendall as she responds to the government statement.

She says the plan "utterly fails to deal with the immediate pressures facing social care".

"Where was the plan to end waiting lists for care... where was the long-term strategy to transform the pay and conditions of care workers," she asks.

"No wonder staff are leaving the sector in droves."

She says the government's white paper "falls woefully short of the mark".

Where will the money be spent?

In the Commons, the minister, Gillian Keegan, says the government's plans to introduce a Health and Social Care Levy were a "vital first step" in fixing the social care system.

She then sets out a further plan of action for the government, including £300m in housing investment to help people with minor repairs and changes to help independent living, increasing the upper limit.

She also sets out £150m for adoption of digital technology in the social care system.

Keegan adds that at least £500m will be spent on the social care workforce over the next few years, focusing on training for staff and mental health and wellbeing support.

How will the government pay for it?

Getty Images

Amid deep concerns over a growing funding shortfall for social care in England, the government announced a new tax in September, which it said would raise £12bn a year.

The Health and Social Care Levy will begin in April 2022 as a 1.25% rise in National Insurance.

From 2023, it will then become a separate tax on earned income.

As the name suggests, it won't just apply to social care, but will also go towards fixing the funding gap in the NHS, caused by dealing with the treatment backlogs created by Covid.

In fact, most of the money will go on this in the early stages, with more switching to social care over time.

The tax will apply UK-wide, and an extra 1.25% will also be charged on share dividends.

The administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who oversee their own health and care policy, will receive an extra £2.2bn to spend on their services.

Here are more details