All businesses, irrespective of their size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage to their staff.<\/p>
If any care worker is concerned that they are being underpaid, including because of unpaid travel time, we strongly urge them to call the Acas helpline for free, impartial and confidential advice about their rights and entitlements. Acas officers will pass on cases to HM Revenue and Customs for further consideration where appropriate. Workers can also contact HM Revenue and Customs directly using the online form.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1612368/answer/previousversion/71258", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-04-26T09:10:27.253Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Home Care Services: Pay"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 205 of the third report of the Health and Social Care Committee entitled Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care, published on 25 July 2022, HC 115, what progress he has made on ensuring that the home care workforce receives at least minimum wage including travel time.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4253", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Malhotra"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Feltham and Heston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Seema Malhotra"} ], "uin" : "181658"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1612437", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1612437/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We have no current plans to make a specific assessment.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1612437/answer/previousversion/71259", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-04-26T09:18:02.39Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Home Care Services: Pay"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the impact of paying home care workers by the minute on workforce retention and staff morale.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4253", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Malhotra"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Feltham and Heston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Seema Malhotra"} ], "uin" : "181727"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947561", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947561/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government provides online guidance on the steps employers and others must take to comply with the National Minimum Wage, which states that the hours of work that count for minimum wage purposes include any time when a worker is travelling from one work assignment to another.<\/p>
The Government is clear that local authorities should have regard to the cost of care when setting prices. This is set out in the statutory guidance to the Care Act 2014.<\/p>
<\/p>
In 2016 the Department worked with local government, the care sector and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy to produce a guide to understanding providers\u2019 costs and fair fees \u2013 this was published in January 2017. A copy of Working with care providers to understand costs<\/em>: <\/em>A guide for adult social care commissioners<\/em> is attached.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4545", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord O'Shaughnessy"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord O'Shaughnessy"}
, "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947561/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "HL9845 - Cost_of_Care_Report.pdf"}
, "title" : "Working with care providers to understand costs"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-07-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-07-26T12:44:46.173Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Home Care Services: Pay"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to local authorities regarding the payment for travel time to carers travelling between clients; and whether local authorities are required to check if any external contractors they use to provide caring services are paying those costs.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3596", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Gardner of Parkes"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Gardner of Parkes"}
], "uin" : "HL9845"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513210", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513210/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " It is for providers to ensure that they are complying with legislation and paying workers for the time they are legally entitled to be paid for.<\/p> <\/p> The Care Act 2014 is clear that local authorities should ensure that care workers are paid at least minimum wage, and are paid for travel time between appointments.<\/p> <\/p> We are working with local authorities and the care sector to improve social care commissioning, including supporting the sector to commission in a way that promotes quality, including meeting legal requirements on staff pay in relation to travel time.<\/p> <\/p> There is clear Government Guidance on the issue of payment for work related travel time. It can be found in full on this website:<\/p> <\/p> http://www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-different-types-work/overview<\/a><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1201", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alistair Burt"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North East Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alistair Burt"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-04-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "34216"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-04-21T13:59:52.717Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-04-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Home Care Services: Pay"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to councils on the payment of homecare workers for their travel time.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Huddersfield"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Barry Sheerman"}
], "uin" : "34217"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513282", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513282/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " It is for providers to ensure that they are complying with legislation and paying workers for the time they are legally entitled to be paid for.<\/p> <\/p> The Care Act 2014 is clear that local authorities should ensure that care workers are paid at least minimum wage, and are paid for travel time between appointments.<\/p> <\/p> We are working with local authorities and the care sector to improve social care commissioning, including supporting the sector to commission in a way that promotes quality, including meeting legal requirements on staff pay in relation to travel time.<\/p> <\/p> There is clear Government Guidance on the issue of payment for work related travel time. It can be found in full on this website:<\/p> <\/p>