Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to make funding available to local authorities to increase the rates paid to social care providers in order to help reduce waiting times for social care.

The Government has provided a historic funding boost of up to £7.5 billion for adult social care. This includes the £562 million Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund which provides local authorities with funding to support social care in their areas. This funding is to be used by local authorities to increase fee rates, to increase workforce capacity and to reduce social care waiting times.