Sir Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of the differential effects of the changes in last year's budget to National Insurance Contributions on employers of Learning Disabilities nurses who work (a) directly for the NHS and (b) for independent health and social care suppliers who are contracted by the NHS to give support to its patients.  [26403]

[Due for Answer on 30 January]

ANSWER

The Minister of State for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth): We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented from April 2025, and NHS England has set out the approach to funding providers in planning guidance for the next financial year.