Andrew Dilnot to chair Commission
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The Government has announced the appointment of economist and broadcaster Andrew Dilnot as the chair of its commission on long-term care.
Dilnot is principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford and a pro vice chancellor of Oxford University. He is know to many as the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 series ’More or Less’.
He has also been a director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a board member of the National Consumer Council and of the Office of Science and Technology Review. He has served on the Social Security Advisory Committee, the Retirement Income Inquiry, the Balance of Central and Local Government Funding Inquiry, the Rowntree Committee on the future costs of long term care and the Ageing Population Foresight panel.
The Commission on the Funding of Care and Support will look at a range of funding ideas including both voluntary insurance and partnership schemes, reporting within a year.
Two further commissioners have also been appointed, Lord Norman Warner and Dame Jo Williams.
The commission will look at the best way to meet care and support costs as a partnership between individuals and the state, how an individual’s assets are protected against the cost of care, how public funding for the care and support system can be best used to meet needs and how to deliver the chosen option, including timescales and impact on local government.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says: "By 2026, the number of 85 year olds is projected to double. In the next 20 years we estimate that 1.7 million more people will have a potential care need than today.
"We know that one in five 65 year olds today will need care costing more than £50,000, which could force many to sell family homes. The answer is clear - we must develop a funding system for adult care and support that offers choice, is fair, provides value for money and is sustainable for the public finances in the long term."
Andrew Dilnot adds: "There are not going to be any easy answers, and I know difficult decisions will have to be made. However, I am looking forward to examining all the issues, and listening to the ideas of those who have been working on care and support over the past few years. This has been a hotly debated topic over recent months. It is now my job to consider the best way forward and offer concrete recommendations to Government."
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