Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the news story, Chancellor sets out extra £750 million coronavirus funding for frontline charities, published on 8 April 2020, how much of the £200 million for hospices has been (a) allocated and (b) received by hospices to date.

On 8 April 2020, the Chancellor announced funding of up to £200 million for hospices as part of the £750 million funding package for the voluntary and charitable sector. This funding supported them in increasing capacity of NHS services and providing stability as we managed our response at a critical stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department is currently in the process of reconciling the payments that have both been made and received by hospices to date, and regularly assesses the financial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospice sector. Through NHS England and NHS Improvement, we are engaged in regular discussions with key stakeholders in the hospice sector regarding the challenges they face.