Answer

  1.  Table 36 lists the Department of Health revenue and capital grants for Personal Social Services from 2003-04 to 2010-11 (the last year of the latest three year CSR). For ease of reference, the grants are shown under headings relating to their status in 2008-09.

  2.  These grants contribute a small proportion of the total funding for adult social care. The majority of funding for social care comes from the overall Revenue Support Grant (allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government) as well as council tax revenues.

  3.  The table shows a decrease in both revenue and capital grants in 2008-09 (and future years) compared with 2007-08. There was also a decrease in ring-fenced funding across the period from 2003-04, most recently associated with the introduction in 2008-09 of the Area Based Grant (ABG) which gives Local Authorities the freedom to allocate resources to meet the priorities within their Local Area Agreement.

  4.  From April 2008, the majority of revenue grants will be delivered to local authorities through the Department of Health's contribution to the new Area Based Grant. This grant is paid on an un-ringfenced basis to all local authorities. As such local authorities are able to determine locally how best to spend the grant in order to deliver local and national priorities in their areas. As an un-ringfenced grant, there are no restrictions on carry forward between financial years. This represents a considerable increase in the flexibility open to local government to take local spending decisions in line with the new performance framework.

  5.  The fall in total revenue grants in 2008-09 is mainly due to some grants being rolled into Revenue Support Grant (RSG) or terminated in 2007-08:

—  The Access and Systems Capacity Grant and the Delayed Discharges Grant were rolled into the Revenue Support Grant (RSG). The activity previously funded through these grants has now become part of the mainstream services councils provide, so these funds were moved into main local government funding to maximise local flexibility.

—  The Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPPs), Preventative Technology and Individual Budget Pilot grants ended in 2007-08. These grants provided time limited funding of the additional costs of setting up pilot programmes. Results from these pilot programmes are being used to shape improved delivery of services through mainstream funding.

—  One of the main aims of Social Care Reform Grant, beginning in 2008-09, is to support councils to redesign and reshape their systems, building upon results of these pilot programmes.

—  The Adult Social Care Workforce grant beginning in 2008-09 combines two previous grants, Human Resources Development Strategy and National Training Strategy, that end in 2008-09.

Source:

Social Care Finance, DH.

Footnotes:

1.  The Area Based Grant began in 2008-09. Contributions listed for earlier years were specific grants.

2.  The Adult Social Care Workforce grant beginning in 2008-09 combines two previous grants, Human Resources Development Strategy and National Training Strategy, that ended in 2007-08.

3.  Human Resources Development Strategy and National Training Strategy up to 2007-08, Carers, CAMHS and LINks include an element of funding for Children's services.

4.  The 2005-06 Access and Systems Capacity funding included an additional £100 million agreed by the Government. This non-recurrent addition was not made in 2006-07 or 2007-08.

5.  This is the reimbursement of the top-slice agreed to fund the CSCI review panel stage. It was issued as one specific grant in 2006-07 and 2007-08, and it was issued as two separate grants in 2005-06.

6.  Funding allocated by other Government departments includes:

—  CAMHS £3 million transfer to DfES for each of the years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.

—  Young People's Substance Misuse £4.5 million transfer to Home Office recurring in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.

—  Children's Trust—£1m transfer to DfES for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

7.  LASSL(2002)11 includes funding for some Children's services for 2003-04, which are not reported in later years: Secure Accommodation (Bed Bank), Secure Accommodation and Children's Services Grant.

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