Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed increase in national insurance contributions on general practices in Scotland.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget 2024, which 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 employer national insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025, with the Department setting out further details on allocation of funding for next year in due course.

Whilst the Department holds some reserved functions, health is predominantly devolved. This includes the National Health Service in Scotland, which is therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

It is for the devolved governments to allocate their funding across devolved areas as they see fit, and they are accountable to their respective legislatures for the decisions they take.