Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes made to employer's National Insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024 on costs to the private adult social care sector in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK.

We work collaboratively with the devolved governments to drive forward our objective of supporting people to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer. While health and social care are predominantly devolved, working together across the United Kingdom is ingrained in the values of our National Health Service and social care sector.

The devolved governments’ Phase 1 Spending Review settlements for 2025/26 are the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution. The allocation of this settlement for Scotland is, of course, the responsibility of the Scottish Government. Devolved governments are receiving over £86 billion in 2025/26, including an additional £6.6 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula.

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending in England within the Spending Review process. In response to the range of pressures facing local authorities, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in England for 2025/26. Funding for the devolved governments is determined through the Barnett formula.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.