Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that home care workers are paid correctly for their travel time.

All workers, including social care workers, must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for the work that they do. Time spent travelling between appointments counts as working time for minimum wage purposes. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service or submit a query directly to HM Revenue and Customs.

On 10 October 2024, recognising the central role of our amazing care workforce, we took a critical step, introducing the legislation that will establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals. Fair Pay Agreements will empower worker, employer, and other sector representatives to negotiate pay and terms and conditions in a regulated and responsible manner and will help to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector, in turn supporting the continued delivery of high-quality care.