All 1 Debates between Tania Mathias and Jane Ellison

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Tania Mathias and Jane Ellison
Tuesday 28th February 2017

(7 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Tania Mathias Portrait Dr Tania Mathias (Twickenham) (Con)
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3. If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing national insurance revenues for spending on health and social care.

Jane Ellison Portrait The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Jane Ellison)
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As hon. Members will know, although national insurance contributions are primarily used to fund state pensions, a proportion of NICs is already allocated directly to the NHS, but beyond that, the Government do not have any plans to ring-fence national insurance contributions to fund health and social care.

Tania Mathias Portrait Dr Mathias
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I thank the Financial Secretary for that answer, but with a view to the long-term sustainable financing of health and social care, will she look into this as a means of depoliticising the debate and ensuring long-term funding for health and social care not just for today, but for decades to come?

Jane Ellison Portrait Jane Ellison
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I understand my hon. Friend’s core point. The Government have taken action to ensure that the NHS has the funding it needs by increasing its annual budget by £10 billion above inflation by 2020-21. We are mindful of the long-term challenges. The issues were recently highlighted by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which laid them out quite starkly in its latest fiscal sustainability report. On depoliticising the debate, I would say that backing the NHS’s own plan for its own future in the way we have done is the best way of doing that.