Wednesday 2 July 2003

Forimmediate release

Media contact: Sophie Howells/ Miriam Lea

Telephone: 020 8 765 7511/12 Out of hours: 07071243 243

Age Concern comment on The Governmentsannouncement of the Age Mattersconsultation on plans to outlaw age discrimination in employment by 2006

Gordon Lishman, Age Concern EnglandsDirector-General said:

The date on apersons birth certificate should never be used as the excuse to hand someonetheir P45.

The Governmentmust not backslide on its commitment[i]to scrap mandatory retirement ages in the workplace. [ii]

Introducinga compulsory retirement age of 70 would do little to stamp out agediscrimination and still make it acceptable for age to be used as the arbiterof workplace rights.

Ends

Noteto Editors: Mandatory retirement ageis the age at which a company stipulates that an employee must leave their job.The basic state pension age is theage at which The Government pays the basic state pension, currently this is 60for a woman and 65 for a man

---

• [i] In his speech to the TUC Pensions conference on 20 June 2002 in London, Andrew Smith, Minister of State for Trade and Industry said:

Many people resent the sheer cliff edge between work and retirement that on Friday they are deemed to be valuable members of the workforce but thefollowing Monday they are shuffled off into retirement.

• [ii] Speaking in parliament on December 17 2002 for the launch of the pensions green paper Simplicity, Security and Choice, Andrew Smith said:

We propose to promote flexibility in retirement by building on thesuccess of the New Deal 50+; legislating against age discrimination; endingcompulsory retirement ages and raising the normal pension age for most groupsin the public service to 65 for all new entrants.

• Radio Producers: Age Concern offers an ISDN facility

Age Concern website http://www.ageconcern.org.uk