Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential change to the cost of providing social care in England, Wales and Scotland as a result of the increase in the minimum wage in each of the next five years.

The impact of the new National Living Wage on local authority finances will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures on local authorities.

The costs of introduction in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved administrations.