AQW 36906/22-27

Mrs Diane Dodds
Democratic Unionist Party
Upper Bann

Tabled Date: 05/12/2025
Answered On Date: 22/12/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail an estimate of the percentage of independent care home staff in receipt of the real Living Wage.

Answer:

My Department does not hold data on the percentage of independent social care providers paying staff the Real Living Wage (RLW), the percentage of independent care home providers who are paying staff the real Living Wage, the percentage of social care staff employed in the independent sector who are in receipt of the real Living Wage or the percentage of independent care home staff in receipt of the real Living Wage.

My Department’s Fair Work Forum developed an evidence-based case for improving pay, terms and conditions of the social care workforce. To inform their work, the Forum carried out a survey with both registered social care workers (SCWs) in the independent sector and employers in the independent care sector. The results of the surveys undertaken are contained within the Justification Report for the introduction of the Real Living Wage. I intend to publish the Justification Report for introduction of the Real Living Wage on my Department’s website in due course which will allow Members the opportunity to consider the survey results within the context of the full report.

Evidence gathered through the survey carried out by my Department’s Fair Work Forum indicates that, while some staff report pay at or above the RLW, many employers report that they do not pay RLW. The survey found that 54% of employee respondents reported being paid equal to or greater than the RLW (based on the 2023 RLW rate of £12.00/hour), whereas most employers (73% of domiciliary care respondents and 88% of wider social care respondents) reported that they do not pay the RLW. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to limited response rates.

I remain committed to implementing the RLW for independent sector care workers and this will be prioritised when planning for the 2026/27 financial year.