Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is planning to publish independent assessment of the trials by selected local authorities of the fair funding approach to payment for provision of residential care; and if he will make statement.

There are no current plans to do so. Through the Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund, all local authorities were required to engage with providers and submit cost of care exercises and provisional Market Sustainability Plans by 14 October 2022. Charging reform trailblazers were selected to deliver the reforms at an earlier stage to inform the Government’s approach to national implementation, including conducting cost of care exercises. The Department is currently reviewing all local authority returns.