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We can’t afford care costs cap, insists minister
WE could not afford to introduce a proposed £35,000 cap on the costs of care in old age, Social Care Minister Chris Robertshaw told MHKs.
Mr Robertshaw was quizzed in the House of Keys by Laurence Skelly (Rushen) over whether his department had plans to equalise the costs for those who require places in residential care.
There have been growing concern over people having to sell their homes to pay for the cost of residential care in their old age.
In the UK the Dilnott Commission recommended a £35,000 limit on care costs when it published its findings in July last year. But ministers indicated the proposal would be shelved because of the £2 billion cost to the Treasury.
Mr Robertshaw said the UK government had made it clear it would not be in a position to introduce the measures proposed by Dilnott within the lifetime of the current parliament and that their introduction would only be possible if savings could be found elsewhere in the budget.
He said: ‘Current estimates are that the measures recommended by Dilnott would cost £1.7 billion annually, with the likely figure for the Isle of Man approaching £2 million.’
The Minister pointed out that the proposals would only work if insurance companies agreed to introduce affordable products which could insure people against care costs up to a limited amount.
‘It would be impossible for the Isle of Man to introduce measures similar to the ones proposed by Dilnott, if we were minded to, ahead of the UK government doing so.’
Mr Skelly said: ‘Does the Minister agreed we strive to provide a fair and equal society?’ He asked how this could be possible if those who worked all their lives to become debt free were penalised by having to pay ‘exorbitant’ care costs - while those who had saved nothing would have all the costs paid.
Mr Robertshaw said ‘Dilnott is a good idea but the UK government says [they] can’t afford it. We can’t either.’
He said the island’s approach towards care costs was significantly more generous than in the UK. There is no capital ceiling for income support here, he explained, though a person with capital of more than £13,000 will be assessed on assumed income from savings or property.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Monday 20 May 2013
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Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
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