The Scottish government has been told it has until the 12^th of May to provide a parliamentary committee with updated financial figures for its proposed national care service.

In a letter to new social care minister Maree Todd, the Finance and Public Administration Committee says it is becoming ‘increasingly concerned’ at a lack of information on the financial implications of the NCS Bill.

Convener of the committee, Kenneth Gibson MSP, says the committee is frustrated no more information has been provided despite repeated calls for an updated financial memorandum, starting back in December.

In its scrutiny of the Financial Memorandum which accompanied the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, members of the Finance Committee highlighted significant gaps, with no mention of costs associated with VAT liability, transfer of staff or a national digital health and social care record.

The committee is now repeating its calls for a revised financial memorandum, to take into account these recommendations, accompanied by a detailed breakdown of spend to date on the NCS, and a timetable for Stage 1 proceedings of the Bill, by the 12^th of May.

Stage 1 deliberation of the NCS plans have now been pushed back until after the summer to allow the government more time for co-design.

The parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, which leads scrutiny of the Bill, is yet to publish its report following extensive evidence sessions with NHS chief executives, trade unions, lawyers and people who receive care.

The former social care minister previously told the committee that new financial costings would only come after all committees publish their findings.

However, the Finance Committee says it “does not accept” this and that scrutiny of the Financial Memorandum should feed into the lead committee, rather than the other way around.

Mr Gibson MSP, in his letter to Ms Todd, invited the new Social Care Minister to provide oral evidence to the committee at its meeting on the 23^rd of May.

Read more: National care service delayed again; Lived experiences must be platformed in NCS debate; MSPs: Lack of detail in NCS ‘frustrated’ scrutiny

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