Select committee: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Conclusion 5
Second Report - Long-term funding of adult social care
Published 4 Aug 2022
Paragraph 39
Addressed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Long-term funding of adult social care All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The covid-19 pandemic had the effect of raising public awareness of adult social care. It also achieved general support for a tax increase specifically to plug the long- standing funding gap. However, the Government has missed this opportunity. It has done so firstly by allocating the vast majority of the proceeds of its Health and Social Care Levy to the NHS, and secondly by in theory ringfencing what little funding it has allocated to adult social care for reforms rather than for cost pressures. Members of the public are seeing taxes on their payslips going to health and social care, yet we heard the money going to social care “won’t touch the sides”.
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Second Report - Long-term funding of adult social care (HC 19), paragraph 39, 4 August 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 15 June 2023 (deadline 4 October 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it remains "fully committed" to the 10-year vision for adult social care and points to up to £7.5 billion of additional funding over two years, while declining some of the Committee's specific recommendations.
- On funding, it cites the Autumn Statement's "up to £7.5 billion" of additional funding over two years for adult social care and discharge, with up to £2.8 billion in 2023-24 and up to £4.7 billion in 2024-25.
- It says it "agree[s]" that market shaping should include a dedicated focus on outcomes-based commissioning, and it is investing in local authority commissioning capability.
- It declines to introduce statutory housing plan requirements ("We do not intend to introduce statutory requirements at this time") and has "no plans" for a review of carer's assessments or to lower visa salary thresholds.
- On a multi-year settlement, it says it "will aim to provide" one "wherever possible"; it will not proceed with the Review of Relative Needs and Resources during this Spending Review.