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"The Prime Minister will today welcome a major review by economist Andrew Dilnot which will recommend a cap of up to £50,000 a year on the amount the elderly will have to pay towards the costs of their care… But new Treasury figures, disclosed to the Daily Telegraph, show that while the initial cost will be £2.5 billion a year this will double within a decade to around £5 billion – equivalent to £200 per household."
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"Monday's report on care for elderly people is a crucial test not merely of the coalition or Andrew Lansley, but British politics. This is not some sophisticated, Westminstery battle, but a life-and-death, misery-or-decency choice about the very basics of life for hundreds of thousands of older British people. It's about lack of money, fear for the future and human dignity."
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Lansley on the Marr show, discussing the issue of how we are going to pay for elderly care with an increasingly ageing population.
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Great editorial from The Observer: "Dilnot has forced us to acknowledge that our social care system is complex, underfunded, unfair, ineffective and irrational… The commission has signalled that we all have to plan better for the unknown that lies ahead. Its proposals deserve all-party support. Chancellor George Osborne ought to turn a deaf ear to his Treasury officials and endorse the recommendations. In doing so, he could become one of the chief architects of a new era for the welfare state, one that proudly values the principles of mutuality and collective responsibility and cares for its citizens, regardless of their age."
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Good factual piece on current funding arrangements for social care.
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Less positive take from the FT (subscription required) on Dilnot: "Andrew Lansley indicated on Sunday that the government will give a “very positive” response to a report on social care for the elderly but will not commit itself on the level of a cap on how much individuals are expected to pay. The health secretary said the report of the independent Dilnot Commission on social care funding, to be published on Monday, would be treated as “the basis for engagement”."
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"No one will be expected to pay more than a third of the value of their assets for care in their old age, an independent review will recommend next week. Andrew Dilnot will say care bills should not exceed a cap of up to £50,000 or a proportion of some 33 per cent of the value of someone’s assets – whichever is the least."
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"Commission will suggest fund-raising changes allowing local authorities to lend money against the value of property."
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"The government is ready to accept the key recommendation of a report on support for elderly people and cap the total amount individuals are expected to pay for personal care in their old age, the health secretary indicated on Sunday."
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"Andrew Dilnot's report will set out the financial framework for a new, long-term care system. He's done the maths; now it's time for the politics. If we can get both right, we will create the chance to fix the care system so future generations are free from the fear of ageing."
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"The Government is ready to accept the key recommendation of a report on support for elderly people and place a cap on the total amount individuals are expected to pay for personal care in their old age, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley indicated today. But Mr Lansley made clear that no decision has been made on the level of the cap beyond which the state will pick up the bill for care."
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"Ed Miliband has made a dramatic offer to David Cameron of "once in a generation" cross-party talks to reform the long-term care of elderly people."
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"Don’t expect next week to hear the Government’s final word on social care. The Dilnot report will mark an important milestone on the road to reform, but there are other questions and more milestones to come. There will inevitably be challenges on the way, but I firmly believe that by working together, we can finally begin the process of turning the page on social care reform."
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"Social care is badly in need of reform, but sustainable long-term change in this area demands a cross-party consensus on the direction of travel."
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"The Government is ready to accept a recommendation to cap the amount individuals pay for care in old age, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has told Sky News."
arbitrary constant 