Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the written statement of 30 July 2024 on Adult Social Care Workforce, HCWS50, whether he plans to provide further funding for social work apprentice opportunities.

We take seriously our responsibility to help manage down the overall fiscal pressures in 2024/25, and therefore cannot commit further funding for social work apprenticeships at this time.

Regarding the social care sector more generally, we are committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create the National Care Service. A key step towards this will be introducing Fair Pay Agreements into the sector, which will work to empower worker representatives, employers and others in partnership 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 delivery of high-quality care.