Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of setting national pay and conditions terms for social care workers.

The Department has no current plans to make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of setting national pay and conditions terms for social care workers. Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of central government.

In the ‘Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care’ we announced our intention to launch a new Care Workforce Pathway for Adult Social Care, which will support development and provide a career structure to the workforce.