Current status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its draft Budget 2026-27, what any projected funding gap for commissioned social care services will be to meet the obligated uplift to at least the real Living Wage in 2026-27 if this budget is passed.
The draft Budget 2026-27 sets out a further £160 million investment to enable the payment of the Real Living Wage to adult social care workers in commissioned services in the next financial year. This will take the total Scottish Government investment in adult social care pay to over £1.1 billion annually.
It is the legal obligation of all employers to pay the National Living Wage. The additional £160 million will fund the gap between the National Living Wage and the Real Living Wage, enabling Local Authorities to offer pay rates for adult social care workers in commissioned services of more than 5% above the National Living Wage rate. Therefore, there will be no funding gap.