Chamber and committees

Palliative and end of life care will be the responsibility of the new Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) and so fair and proportionate resources should transfer to the IJBs. The Scottish Government will provide strategic commissioning guidance on palliative and end of life care to health and social care partnerships by summer 2016 and has also committed to review hospice funding by the end of 2016.

National Insurance policy is a reserved matter. The introduction of the single-tier pension through the Pension Act 2014 led to the abolition of the ‘contracted-out rebate’ by the UK Government. The abolition of the rebate will lead to increased costs for employers, including all public sector employers. The change takes effect from April 2016.

The following table provides a breakdown of the estimated cost of the abolition of national insurance contracted out rates, broken down by sector.

Sector	Employer ERNIC Increase 2016-17 (£m)
NHS includes: Agenda for Change (AfC) Staff; Medical and Dental Staff; Senior Managers	83
Teachers (and associated teaching professionals)	42
Police (Officers and civilian staff costs included)	20
Fire	4
Core Scottish Government, Non-departmental Public Bodies, Public Corporations, Departments and Agencies. (all bodies subject to the public sector pay policy)	20
Total	169

These estimates were calculated in June 2015, based on latest available paybill information available to Scottish Government sponsor areas.

It is currently a matter for individual NHS boards to commission directly with the independent adult hospices within their geographical area. Chief Executive Letter (CEL) 12 (2012) makes it clear that NHS boards should fund 50% of agreed running costs of independent adult hospices. More detail about the current planning arrangements is set out in CEL 12 (2012), http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2012_12.pdf.

From 1 April 2016 commissioning responsibility will transfer to the new health and social care partnerships. The Scottish Government has also committed to review hospice funding by the end of 2016 to look at addressing the disparity between children and adult hospices as part of implementation of the strategic framework for action on palliative and end of life care.

<>St Margaret of Scotland Hospice and Scottish Government officials first met to discuss funding on 13 February 2007. Most recent meeting was on 23 December 2015.

National Insurance policy is a reserved matter. The introduction of the single-tier pension through the Pension Act 2014 led to the abolition of the ‘contracted-out rebate’ by the UK Government. The abolition of the rebate will lead to increased costs for employers, including all public sector employers. The change takes effect from April 2016.

The UK Government made no adjustment to spending plans to recognise increased costs on public sector employers. As explained in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2016-17, published in December 2015, financial settlements reflect the overarching challenges facing public bodies including a range of cost pressures. All public bodies are contributing towards our ability to live within the resources that are available to us.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30715 on 22 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website; the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

<>Unitary charges are finalised when a project reaches financial close; accordingly, it is not possible to set out a ‘before’ and ‘after’ unitary charge.

The Scottish Government has transferred all of the £35.4 million budgeted to Independent Living Fund Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.