Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide further support towards energy costs for the hospice sector in addition to the Energy Bill Discount Scheme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On January 9, the Government has announced a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme to provide eligible business, charities and the public sector, including eligible hospices with a discount on high energy bills for a further 12 months from April 23 until March 24. This will help those locked into contracts signed before recent substantial falls in the wholesale price manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again.
The Government has been clear that the current levels of support through Energy Bills Relief Scheme, unprecedented in its nature and huge scale, were time-limited and intended as a bridge to allow organisations to adapt. The new scheme therefore strikes a balance between supporting businesses for a further 12 months, from April 2023 to March 2024, and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that hospices have sufficient funding to cover energy costs.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that all eligible charities, including hospices, are protected from high energy costs over the winter period. Following an HMT-led review, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, will run from April until March 2024 and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices. The new scheme strikes a balance between supporting businesses, charities and other non-domestic customer over the next 12 months and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets, with a cap set at £5.5 billion.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to provide additional funding to (a) children's hospices and (b) palliative care charities when the non-domestic Energy Bill Relief Scheme ends in March 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
HM Treasury is currently conducting a review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme and evidence from care providers is included in that review. The Government cannot confirm which sectors will receive further support after 31st March 2023 until the end of the review, which will report by the end of this year.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specific support his Department provides to charities providing end of life care for children.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No recent assessment has been made as the majority of hospices are independent charities which receive some statutory funding from integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs are responsible for commissioning appropriate palliative and end of life care (PEoLC) services for children based on the needs of the local population.
NHS England has committed to increase its investment in local children’s PEoLC services, including hospices. NHS England has matched the investment made by clinical commissioning groups for children’s PEoLC, providing more than £7 million since 2020/21. This is in addition to £21 million being invested through the Children’s Hospice Grant by March 2023, to provide care closer to home. NHS England is also reviewing current models of care, commissioning pathways and financial formulas to ensure the sector supports children, young people, their families and loved ones. We will continue to engage with the sector to understand the issues it faces.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of funding support for hospices and end of life care for children.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No recent assessment has been made as the majority of hospices are independent charities which receive some statutory funding from integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs are responsible for commissioning appropriate palliative and end of life care (PEoLC) services for children based on the needs of the local population.
NHS England has committed to increase its investment in local children’s PEoLC services, including hospices. NHS England has matched the investment made by clinical commissioning groups for children’s PEoLC, providing more than £7 million since 2020/21. This is in addition to £21 million being invested through the Children’s Hospice Grant by March 2023, to provide care closer to home. NHS England is also reviewing current models of care, commissioning pathways and financial formulas to ensure the sector supports children, young people, their families and loved ones. We will continue to engage with the sector to understand the issues it faces.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the funding available to hospices where charitable donations have fallen during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We have worked with HM Treasury and NHS England and NHS Improvement to support hospices, including through the provision of an additional £257 million of grant funding to charitable hospices in England in response to COVID-19. Many hospices have also benefitted from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities and our commitment to either fund directly or reimburse all known personal protective equipment requirements until March 2022.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the £750 million allocated by the Government to support the charitable sector on 8 April 2020 that has been returned to Her Majesty's Treasury as a result of underspending.
Answered by Matt Warman
Of the £750 million package for charities and voluntary organisations, £200 million was allocated to the Department for Health and Social Care specifically for hospices, and £60 million was allocated to the Devolved Administrations. £160 million was distributed by a range of government departments to organisations working in their sectors.
In total, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was responsible for administering £347 million (which includes £17 million additional funding in relation to the Big Night In).
As at the end of the first quarter of 2021/22, £0.19 million has been identified as underspend from the funding administered by DCMS. A small number of grants are not closed down so it is possible that additional underspends may arise.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial viability of the UK hospice sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises the funding challenges facing the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March 2020 and March 2021 £280 million of additional funding has been made available to hospices to secure capacity and free up acute care as part of the National Health Service response to COVID-19. Alongside this, hospices have benefitted from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan.
No assessment has been made of the financial viability of United Kingdom hospices. Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that receive some statutory funding, mainly from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for providing local services. CCGs are responsible for the planning and commissioning of high-quality services that meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Sue Ryder charity, published on 31 January, on the funding challenges facing the UK hospice sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises the funding challenges facing the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March 2020 and March 2021 £280 million of additional funding has been made available to hospices to secure capacity and free up acute care as part of the National Health Service response to COVID-19. Alongside this, hospices have benefitted from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan.
No assessment has been made of the financial viability of United Kingdom hospices. Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that receive some statutory funding, mainly from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for providing local services. CCGs are responsible for the planning and commissioning of high-quality services that meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the level of financial support available for hospices to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have provided over £150million in additional funding to the hospice sector to date during the pandemic and have made up to £200 million available to the sector for additional capacity between April and July, and we continue to work closely with hospices to support their essential work. alongside this, hospices have benefited from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan. Charities, alongside other sectors, can also access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the replacement Job Support Scheme and charity shops, which are already eligible for 80% charitable rate relief, will benefit from the new enhanced retail rate relief at 100%. We continue to keep the financial impact of COVID-19 on hospices under review.