Government U-turns on unlawful and unnecessary watering down of care rights. But where's the needed funding for Councils and the promised cross-Party talks?

The Government has announced that it will remove parts of the Coronavirus Act that reduce people's rights to care.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: "Watering down the rights to care for elderly, disabled and vulnerable people was unlawful and unnecessary. Far too many families have seen the hardships of lockdown compounded by having the lifeline of care cut off completely.

"Liberal Democrats opposed the Government reducing people's care rights from the very start of the pandemic, and voted against this law last September. So I am glad Ministers have finally accepted that care rights must be fully restored.

"However, far too many people are still missing out on the care they need because of the Conservative Government's failure to give local councils the funding they need. It puts extra strain on unpaid carers and on our NHS, which is already facing enormous challenges.

"That's why I'm continuing to call on Boris Johnson to convene the cross-party talks he has promised for so long, so we can finally agree a long-term, sustainable future for social care."

Section 15 and Schedule 12 of the Coronavirus Act relax the duties on local authorities under the Care Act to assess and meet people's care needs.

Liberal Democrats voted against renewal of the Coronavirus Act in September 2020, with Ed Davey arguing that it "undermines the rights to care of disabled people, the rights to care of some of society's most vulnerable people and the rights to care of children with special needs and disabilities".

In its One Year Report on the status on the non-devolved provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020, published today, the Government states that "The decision has been made as part of the one-year review to expire this provision after Easter recess."