Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an immediate fuel subsidy for home care workers in the context of the rising cost of fuel.

We have no plans to make a specific assessment. The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers which set their terms and conditions, including renumeration for travel costs, independently of central government. Local authorities work with care providers to determine fee rates, which should take account of employment costs, based on local market conditions.