Home Care Services

Mr. Stephen O'Brien
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the Personal Care at Home Bill’s compliance with the new burdens doctrine for local authorities.

Phil Hope
As with all policies and programmes, the Government are committed to assessing the costs to local authorities of the Personal Care at Home Bill. The Bill will be funded through a combination of additional grant and from local authority efficiency savings. It will not now be introduced until April 2011.

It is right to expect councils to play their part alongside central Government to help deliver this new commitment. We believe that councils have room to use efficiency savings because:

The costs of delivering local services are now much lower, with recent low levels of inflation and affordable pay settlements;

The Budget 2010 announced new measures to free-up local resources through reducing burdens and targets and reductions in ring-fencing; and

We have provided record investment in local government, with local authorities receiving £8.6 billion more over the current Spending Review period.