Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 89382 on Social Services: Investment, what assessment his Department has made of the main barriers to (a) public sector funding and (b) private sector capital investment in social care; and what regional variations are there.

The Government assesses the funding required for adult social care, which considers a wide range of factors. This assessment is considered alongside other Government priorities through the Spending Review process to inform decisions about how available public sector funding is distributed.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care. Conditions in local care markets can vary across the country and local authorities are best placed to understand and respond to these local market conditions. The Department has not carried out a specific assessment on the barriers to private sector capital investment in social care and any regional variations. While private adult social care providers are individual businesses and the Government does not intervene in their operations, we have been clear that the expectation is for adult social care providers to behave responsibly, including through sustainable financial arrangements that support the sector and meet needs as required.