Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in each Parliamentary constituency to whom the cap on care costs would have applied in 2016-17 if brought into force.

We remain committed to the implementation of the cap on care costs, which will offer financial protection and peace of mind. The decision to delay followed careful consideration of feedback from stakeholders that April 2016 was not the right time to implement these significant and expensive reforms. The benefits of the cap have had to be weighed against the need to focus on supporting local authorities in caring for the most vulnerable.

Information regarding how many people will be affected by the delay by constituency is not held in the format requested.

Means-tested financial support remains available for those who cannot afford to pay for care to meet their eligible needs.