Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by Cordis Bright entitled Learning Disability and Autism Social Care providers: Financial Impact Assessment, published in October 2022, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report on the impact on quality of care for people with (a) autism and (b) learning disabilities of independent providers having to hand back their contracts.

No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities are responsible for planning for the care needs of the local population and developing market capacity. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape local markets and ensure that high quality, sustainable and person-centred care and support options are available. The Department regularly monitors any risks to adult social care provider viability and the continuity of care in England.