Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Last summer, people across Wales contributed their ideas for new Welsh taxes – part of a national debate I started as a means of testing new powers under the Wales Act 2014, which enable us to introduce new taxes in areas of devolved responsibility.
Professor Gerald Holtham put forward the idea of a levy to fund social care in Wales in the future and published a short report outlining how this could work. The levy was one of four ideas on the new tax ideas shortlist and I commissioned Professor Holtham to carry out further work into his proposal.
Professor Holtham’s final report, Paying for Social Care, is published today. It considers the economic case for a system of enhanced social insurance to help fund social care costs for older people.
The challenge of paying for care is by no means unique to Wales, but it is important that our approach is tailored to Wales’ needs and aligns with our priorities for the future of health and social care, which are set out in A Healthier Wales – our long-term plan for health and social care in Wales.
Professor Holtham’s report will inform the work of the new inter-Ministerial group on social care, which is chaired by the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care. Huw Irranca-Davies will publish a more detailed written statement about the inter-Ministerial group, its membership, priorities and work programme in the coming weeks.