Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Casey Commission plans to assess the potential merits of a (a) national lifetime cost cap and (b) weekly maximum charge for long-term care.

The adult social care charging system is means tested and provides funded support for those with the least financial means. While the Department sets the minimum thresholds for accessing local authority support, local authorities have the discretion to set more generous thresholds if they choose.

The Terms of Reference for the Independent Commission into adult social care (The Commission) are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to define the Commission's remit. Baroness Casey has been asked by the Prime Minister to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including how best to make it fair and affordable. Phase 1 will report later this year.