Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy that adult social care workers must earn at least the real Living Wage, what estimate it has made of the potential Barnett consequential funding that might receive if the UK Government were to replicate this approach in England.
Since 2016, the Scottish Government has provided funding to ensure that adult social care workers, delivering direct care in the third and private sectors, are paid at least the Real Living Wage (RLW).
As employment powers are reserved, this uplift is funded by the Scottish Government but processed, delivered and assured by Local Authorities through the annual contract variation process. This year, the Scottish Government transferred £230 million to Local Government to deliver the uplift to at least £12 per hour.
As we do not have access to the relevant contractual information in England, we are unable to estimate how much it would cost to replicate this approach in England or the subsequent Barnett consequentials.
In the absence of Barnett consequentials, the Scottish Government’s commitment to prioritise funding a minimum RLW rate clearly demonstrates the value we place on the Scottish social care workforce.