Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to monitor use of the better care fund by local authorities.

Local authorities are required to develop Better Care Plans with Clinical Commissioning Group Partners. These are agreed by local Health and Wellbeing Boards and approved by NHS England. Plans must meet the national conditions set out in the Better Care Fund Policy Framework, published by Government; and take account of Planning Guidance issued jointly by NHS England and the Local Government Association. The Better Care Plan sets out how the Better Care Fund, the locally agreed single pooled budget, will be spent. Governance of the Better Care Fund; assurance of Better Care Plans and adherence to the national conditions, is provided through the NHS and government departments (Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government).

The Policy Framework for 2016/17 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/490559/BCF_Policy_Framework_2016-17.pdf

The Planning Guidance can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/annex4-bcf-planning-requirements-1617.pdf

The assurance guidance can be found at: http://www.local.gov.uk/documents/10180/12193/BCF+Guidance/4d976fb7-8a66-482b-b427-06e15b0c0d01