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 17 April 2025 to Question 43484 on Independent Commission into Adult Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the estimated timetable on the timing of reforms to social care in this Parliament.

The Independent Commission is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transcend party politics and build consensus on how we can deliver meaningful, long lasting, and sustainable change. It will be undertaken in two phases, with the first phase reporting next year.

In the first phase of the commission, Baroness Casey will make recommendations that can be delivered within the financial envelope set for this Parliament. The second phase of the commission will consider longer-term reforms and will report back by 2028.

While the commission continues its work, we are already laying the groundwork for more substantial, long-term changes that will create a more resilient and sustainable system. Through our Plan for Change, we've hit the ground running to improve the social care system we inherited in crisis, with up to £3.7 billion in extra funding, £172 million for approximately 15,000 home adaptations for disabled people, a £2,000 uplift to the Carer’s Allowance, and via the introduction of legislation for the first-ever Fair Pay Agreement for care workers.