Discrimination Against Older People (Hansard, 8 May 2001)

§ Mr. Roger Berry (Kingswood)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make discrimination against older people unlawful; to provide for the creation of an Age Discrimination Council; and for connected purposes. Discrimination on the ground of age has attracted growing attention in recent years. Indeed, it has also attracted increasing popularity as a topic for ten-minute Bills. Less than a for night ago, on 25 April, my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Quinn) sought leave to introduce a Bill to establish an age equality commission to advise the Government on discrimination against older people. He also did that in July of last year. A fortnight ago, the House agreed the Question without a Division.

Tomorrow, the hon. Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) will seek leave to bring in a Bill to make some provisions with regard to age discrimination. I do not know what they are, but taken with other initiatives, that suggests that there is substantial support in the House for further action on the subject. Perhaps that is not surprising given the age diversity in this place, where hon. Members' ages range from the early 20s to the 80s. I am sure that we all agree that that diversity is welcome.

Most hon. Members' minds are currently on the forthcoming general election. Nowadays, national campaigning organisations tend to produce manifestos. I should briefly like to draw hon. Members' attention to Age Concern's manifesto, entitled, "Dignity, Security, Opportunity". It is an excellent document both for its clarity and the strength of its arguments. It expresses one of its five priorities in the following words: ending discrimination against older people—by law—in work, health, public services and the consumer market". That is precisely what my Bill seeks to do.

Many other organisations also campaign on age discrimination. LEAD—the Lobby to End Age Discrimination—held a seminar in the Palace of Westminster in November last year. Like many hon. Members, I was pleased to sponsor and participate in it. Representatives from the three Front Benches contributed productively to it. Another organisation, the Association of Retired and Person s over 50, drafted the Bill that I want to introduce today.

What would the Bill do? It would make discrimination against older people unlawful. for example. in employment, access to health care, education and training, credit and other goods and services. It would set up an age discrimination council to advise the Government on detailed codes of practice. The provisions are similar to those in existing anti-discrimination legislation.

Why is it necessary? Many people over 50 have difficulties in finding a job, even when they have extensive qualifications and enormous experience. Some, because of their age, have difficulty in obtaining credit, hiring a car or gaining access to other services on fair terms.

Many of my constituents are convinced that they are discriminated against because they are older. They stress that point whenever I meet the local branch of Age Concern, the South Gloucestershire Senior Citizens Forum, or other pensioners' groups, as I frequently do.

25 Age discrimination has moved up the political agenda and it is not difficult to understand why. First, the population of our country is growing older. There are approximately 20 million people aged 50 and over in the United Kingdom, representing 40 per cent. of the adult population. Consequently, older people realise that they have growing political influence and they rightly want their opinions to be taken into account.

Secondly, there is growing evidence of widespread age discrimination. In its recent evidence to the Education and Employment Committee—which I congratulate on producing a very good report on age discrimination in employment—the Department for Education and Employment drew attention to a survey conducted six months after the code of practice on age diversity had been introduced. The survey found that one in five older people believed that they had been discriminated against in their current job or in a job application simply because of their age. Discrimination was most likely to be reported in the area of recruitment, in which 12 per cent. of older people felt that their age was the key factor militating against them when applying for jobs.

The Department for Education and Employment has also pointed out that many people leaving work before reaching the state pension age have not done so voluntarily, and in the past 20 year the employment rate among those over 50 has fallen dramatically. In 1979, 84 per cent. of men between 50 years old and retirement age were in employment. By 1997, that figure had fallen to 67 per cent. By last year, it had risen modestly to 69 per cent., owing to the substantial increase in employment under the present Government. Nevertheless, it is clear from the trend over the past 20 years that older people who wish to work are increasingly being denied that opportunity.

A further reason why age discrimination is attracting increasing attention is simply that it differs from other forms of discrimination in one important respect: there is 26 no law against it, as there is for discrimination on the grounds of race, gender or disability. It is perfectly possible for an employer to refuse someone a job, promotion or training, not because of his or her ability, but because of his or her age.

The Government have, of course, taken some action to address this problem, and are, indeed, the first Government to take the issue seriously. In 1999, a voluntary code of practice on age diversity in employment was introduced, and last year the Government welcomed the EU directive on equal treatment in employment that will introduce legislation to outlaw this kind of discrimination in employment by 2006. Legislation to tackle age discrimination in employment within five years is better than no commitment at all, but five years is a long time to wait—and what about discrimination in areas other than employment?

Discrimination on the ground of age, like any other form of discrimination, is wrong. To deny people employment or access to services for no reason other than their age is unacceptable and robs us of the enormous economic and social benefits of age diversity. In my view, legislation to tackle age discrimination is required as soon as possible. I hope that the House will support that view this afternoon.