Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of residential and nursing care home fees on older people; and if his Department will take steps to ensure that annual fee increases are transparent.

Fee rates are set by the providers of adult social care, the majority of which are in the independent sector. The Department does not have the power to limit the level of fees that a care home can charge. However, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers.

The importance of price transparency is set out in Regulation 19 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, which requires that providers give timely and accurate written information about the cost of their care and treatment to the people who use their services.