§ 43. Mr. Jayasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the normal retiring age of 60 has been abolished for all direct employees of the Government, industrial and non-industrial; and whether he will give figures showing the numbers now working between the ages of 60 and 70, compared with four years ago.
§ Mr. H. BrookeYes, Sir. On 1st January, 1954, there were just over 30,000 established and disestablished non-industrial civil servants between the ages of 60 and 70. The comparable figure for 1st January, 1950, is estimated to have been about 17,000. Similar information for industrial and temporary non-industrial civil servants is not available centrally.
§ Mr. JayCan the hon. Gentleman assure the House that there is now no Government Department which is automatically retiring people against their will at the age of 60?
§ Mr. BrookeI should like to read to the House a statement of principle issued to Departments in March, 1952:
Age of 60 will in future be regarded as the minimum age of retirement and generally speaking the conception of a normal age of retirement will be abolished.