The old deserve bold action now Social care is an issue so sensitive, complex and potentially expensive that governments of whatever stamp are reluctant to confront it. Labour kicked it into the long grass, and there are worrying signs that the Coalition is doing the same. In some areas, this administration has shown great boldness, pressing ahead with reform of education and welfare, for example. But such decisiveness should cover the spectrum of governance. A decision on the future of social care cannot be postponed. As Ros Altmann of Saga notes overleaf, many people approaching old age - and their families - need to know what the future holds for them so they can plan appropriately. The current system scandalously favours the improvident over the prudent. The lifelong spendthrift can expect his needs to be covered by the taxpayer, while someone who has struggled for decades to pay off a mortgage may be penalised by losing his house; a local authority means test may refuse the elderly funding if they have assets above £23,250. The Dilnot proposals to raise the level to £100,000 and cap the amount any individual pays for long-term care at £35,000 would cost the Government £1.7 billion. That is obviously why the decision has been postponed until the next Comprehensive Spending Review late next year or in 2014. However, with more than 24,000 pensioners per year having to sell their houses under the current arrangements, procrastination is an abdication of responsibility. On Wednesday, when plans for the funding of care are published, the public will need to be reassured that the Government intends to grasp this nettle.