'Contributions' to pay for elderly care in Jersey
- Published
People who responded to a public consultation in Jersey on funding long-term care for the elderly opted for regular payments to be made by workers.
The States invited comments on how to pay for the care as the number of islanders aged over 80 is expected to double by 2026.
The government said of the 550 responses, the most popular option chosen was compulsory contributions.
The States said a draft law based on this proposal would be debated in 2011.
Deputy Ian Gorst, the minister for social security, said: "If we move forward as suggested, hard working Jersey families would no longer be faced with the prospect of paying up to £1,000 a week in care fees and seeing their hard-earned savings disappear.
"I agree that funding the new scheme through compulsory contributions is the fairest approach to tackling this pressing funding issue.
"The results from the consultation give me a clear steer with regard to our direction of travel and I intend to publish more detailed proposals in the form of a white paper later this year - the intention is that this will be followed by law drafting in 2011."