Annex 1: Overview of our work
57. The Committee on Public Service and Demographic
Change was appointed by the House on 29 May 2012 "to consider
public service provision in the light of demographic change, and
to make recommendations".
58. We decided to focus our work on ageing because
it is the most substantial demographic change underway, will affect
the whole population, and will have wide-reaching implications
for individuals, public policy and public services.
59. The United Kingdom population is ageing rapidly.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has projected that in
England in 2030, compared to 2010, there will be 51% more people
aged 65 and over, and 101% more people aged 85 and over.[24]
This shift will have major implications for society's attitudes
and expectations and for the demands placed on many important
services for the public, as well as for their affordability and
the way they are delivered.
60. Our focus has been on the impact of ageing
on public services in the medium term, looking ahead to 2020 and
to 2030. Looking ahead by seven to 17 years gives enough distance
to make the changes that are happening clear, yet this period
is within the scope of realistic planning and allows for shifts
in public policy and services to be made soon.
61. Many aspects of health services, social work
and housing policy, along with other relevant public services,
are devolved to the legislatures of Scotland and Wales, and transferred
in the case of Northern Ireland. For this reason, the main focus
of this Report is on England. However, many of the issues that
we have highlighted apply throughout the United Kingdom.
62. The annexes that follow lay out in more detail
the evidence that underpins the findings in our Report. They are
designed to show how we came to our conclusions; highlighted in
bold text are key findings relating to the proposals that we make
in the Report. In the course of our inquiry, we heard oral evidence
from 67 witnesses, and received a large quantity of valuable written
evidence.
63. We are grateful to the many individuals and
organisations that assisted in our work, and to the academics
who undertook specific analyses for us.
64. We are particularly grateful to our Clerk,
Susannah Street; our Policy Analysts, Tristan Stubbs and Tansy
Hutchinson; our Specialist Advisers, Professor Howard Glennerster
and Mr Jonathan Portes, for their expertise and guidance throughout
this inquiry; and our Committee Assistant, Bina Sudra.
24 Central Government (DoH, DWP and DCLG), written
evidence. Back
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