Asked by: Baroness Porter of Fulwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the upcoming changes to employers National Insurance contributions will have on cancer charities; and how that impact will be factored into the development of the national cancer plan.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government understands the important work being delivered by voluntary organisations and recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why it has more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with National Insurance Contributions (NICs) liabilities either gain or see no change next year. Businesses and charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs where eligible.
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget 2024, which has enabled the spending review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.
The National Cancer Plan will focus on how we make things better for patients through reforming the cancer sector and improving efficiency, building on the steps announced in the Elective Reform Plan. This will support more scrupulous and effective use of funds in the future. We are committed to working closely with cancer charities to shape the long-term vision for cancer. Alongside the call for evidence, we will consult with partners and patient groups to get their views and priorities.