Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Employer National Insurance: Hospices

Wednesday 4 December 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Seamus Logan asked about discussions between the Minister and the Chancellor regarding employer national insurance contributions and their impact on Scottish hospices.
  • The Minister acknowledged the significant value of the hospice sector and its underappreciated work.
  • Logan mentioned 45 hospices in Scotland facing financial difficulties, citing Roxburghe House in Aberdeen as an example.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Seamus Logan SNP Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
NHS Economy Scotland
Context

The MP questioned the potential impact of proposed changes to employer national insurance contributions on hospices in Scotland, highlighting the financial challenges faced by these organisations.

Question

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of proposed changes to employer national insurance contributions on hospices in Scotland?

Answer from Kirsty McNeill

I know there is consensus right across this House on the enormous value of the hospice sector and the extraordinary work that it does—work that, sadly, has been undervalued for far too long. Support for additional employer national insurance contributions will be allocated to Departments, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way for the devolved Governments. The rise does not begin until April, and we will set out further details on the allocation of funding in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The exact support for additional employer national insurance contributions that will be allocated to hospices was not specified.

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Q2 Seamus Logan SNP Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
NHS Scotland
Context

The MP raised concerns about the financial strain faced by hospices due to changes in employer national insurance contributions, specifically mentioning Marie Curie's upcoming bill of £3 million.

Question

There are 45 hospices in Scotland—I cannot be certain of that figure, because so many of them are in dire financial circumstances. I think of Roxburghe House in Aberdeen, which provides services to my constituents and those of other MPs in this Chamber. Another organisation that provides vital hospice care is the Marie Curie charity, which provides services in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It also provides hospice-at-home care. The charity is facing a bill close to £3 million as a result of decisions made by this Government. What does the Minister have to say about the help that can be provided to Marie Curie and other organisations?

Answer from Kirsty McNeill

As the hon. Gentleman will know, the pressures on hospice funding long predate the Budget and relate to the decline in real-terms funding from the Scottish Government. I note that nearly 5,000 members of the public have written to the Scottish Government recently to support calls from the Scottish hospice leadership for fair funding. Those calls might be answered this afternoon when the SNP Government will have an extra £5 billion to spend. This was secured by Scottish Labour MPs but voted against by SNP MPs. It will be spent this afternoon by SNP Ministers.

Not addressed: The exact financial support for Marie Curie and other hospices facing funding issues due to employer national insurance contributions changes was not addressed.

How: Discussed Unrelated Points About Scottish Labour Mps

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