Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the personal expenses allowance for residents in care homes to meet the cost of (a) transport, (b) health-related services and (c) social participation.

The rates of the personal expenses allowance (PEA) are reviewed annually, and local authorities also have the discretion to set higher rates for the PEA if they so choose.

To allow people receiving means-tested support to keep more of their own income, the PEA was increased in line with consumer price index inflation for the present financial year, 2025/26.