Employer National Insurance: Hospices

7. 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.

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.

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?

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. Make it make sense!