Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introduce free personal care for (a) elderly and (b) disabled residents in West Dorset constituency.

Local authorities have the power to charge for care, and it is for them to decide whether to do so. Two local authorities in England currently offer free home care to their residents.

Where local authorities do choose to charge for care, they must do so in accordance with the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the Care and Support Statutory guidance.

We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.

The commission, which began work in April 2025, will be comprehensive and will build on the expert proposals of other reviews, including that of Sir Andrew Dilnot into care funding and support.