Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to deal with the closure of care homes for older people due to rising interest rates.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to ensure that people have a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care available to them, and that they can access the services that best meet their needs. This includes ensuring that, where providers exit the market, care provision is maintained with minimum disruption. The Government recognises the pressures faced by the adult social care sector, including rising interest rates, and is making available up to £7.5 billion of additional funding over two years to support adult social care and discharge. We expect local authorities to use the additional funding available for social care to go beyond meeting inflationary pressures, including those experienced in 2022/23.