Home Care Services: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 296W, on social services: finance, from which of his Department’s budgets the remaining £228 million required to fund the provisions of the Personal Care at Home Bill will be taken; and how much will be taken from each budget. (318889)

In 2010-11, we are meeting half of the full implementation costs—£420 million—as implementation starts from October. These are being met as explained in my reply on 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 296W to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds).

The remaining half year costs will be found from 2011-12. Detailed budget prioritisation decisions for 2011-12 onwards will be taken once the outcome of the next Spending Review is available, as the Department’s total budget beyond 2010-11 is not yet known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 296W, on social services: finance, whether the savings in (a) administration and (b) management consultancy spending will be made in (i) his Department and (ii) primary care trusts. (318890)

The savings will be made in the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of funding that local councils will have to contribute to implementation of the free social care at home scheme. (320272)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 553W.