§ 1. Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire)If the Government will make a statement on the steps they are taking to reduce age discrimination against older people. [137439]
§ 2. Gregory Barker (Bexhill and Battle)What proposals the Government have to reduce age discrimination against older people in England. [137440]
§ The Minister for Pensions (Malcolm Wicks)Age discrimination can be as debilitating to individuals as other forms of discrimination. That is why we are tackling age discrimination in employment through our age positive campaign and through our code of practice on age diversity in employment. Legislation against age discrimination in employment and training will come into force in October 2006. We are tackling age discrimination in other arenas as well. The national service framework for the national health service is designed to outlaw and prevent age discrimination in our hospitals and other health care systems.
§ Mr. GrayThe Minister's reply echoes the memorable words of the right hon. Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney), now the Minister without Portfolio, who said that age discrimination practices
are unacceptable, and an incoming Labour Government will give priority to ending them by introducing anti-discrimination legislation."—[Official Report, 9 February 1996; Vol. 271, c. 619.]He said that in 1996, but the legislation will not become effective until 2006. Was that another early pledge from the Labour party?I thought that I would find out what the Government have done as employers, and I learned that one has to retire at 55 in the Ministry of Defence and at 60 in the 144WH Foreign Office. What does the Minister intend to do about raising the retirement age for Government employees?
§ Malcolm WicksA lot.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder.
§ Malcolm WicksThe hon. Gentleman asked a long question. He may like a concise answer. We are doing a great deal. We have said that, for civil servants, the normal retirement age in the future will be 65, not 60.
I am also pleased that the employment rates—economic activity rates—are improving for those between 50 and the state pension age. We will outlaw discrimination. That is action from a Labour Government. I do not remember that happening during the Conservatives' 18 years.
§ Gregory BarkerMay I commend to the Minister the excellent campaign being run by the Sunday Mirror on respect for older people and draw his attention to the many facets of ageism that that campaign has highlighted in a survey of British seniors? May I press him specifically on age discrimination in the national health service? Just a couple of weeks ago, a leading conference organised by Cancer Research UK and Help the Aged highlighted the fact that elderly women over 70 are, because of their age, still being denied potentially life-saving surgery for breast cancer. That is happening two years after Ministers published a national service framework for older people and pledged to stamp it out. Why is it still occurring, and what will Ministers do about it?
§ Malcolm WicksThe question is asked at a time when our programme to help those with cancer is moving in the right direction and we are getting some very good results. I reiterate that my colleagues in the Department and all of us in the Government are determined to prevent any form of age discrimination from operating in the health service. If there are individual instances, such as those that the hon. Gentleman mentioned, I am sure that my colleagues in the Department of Health will consider them most carefully.
§ Mr. John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings)As housing professionals are increasingly sceptical that the Government's target of bringing all social housing up to a decent level by 2010 will be met, does the Minister agree that the most vulnerable members of society—typically elderly people—will own or occupy a disproportionate number of indecent homes, and that there is no worse form of discrimination against the elderly than condemning them to inappropriate housing, which the Government have no plans to do anything about? Will the Minister state the specific measures that will be put in place for elderly people to ensure the end of that discrimination?
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Phil Hope)The decent homes target, is to have homes up to a decent standard by 2010. It is a very ambitious target, because, in 1997, 145WH we inherited a housing stock that had been decimated by the Conservative party. There had been massive under-investment, and there was an £18 billion backlog of disrepair in the social housing stock.
The Government have released £5 billion of local authority council house sales receipts to spend on improvement of that stock. That will disproportionately benefit elderly people who, as the hon. Gentleman rightly points out, occupy that social housing. The Conservative pledge to sell off social housing in local housing associations will do far more damage to affordable and decent housing for older people than any other single policy of his party.
§ Mr. HayesThe Minister stretches our credulity a little far given that the number of social houses built by the Government has fallen by one third, homelessness is at record levels and the number of people in bed-and-breakfast accommodation has risen.
§ David Cairns (Greenock and Inverclyde)Rubbish.
§ Mr. HayesIt is not rubbish; all that can be found in information provided not by the Opposition but by experts in the field who work with people seeking homes and the developers who build them. Will the Minister answer my original question and tell us what specific measures the Government have put in place to help to ensure that the most vulnerable—the elderly—do not live in inadequate housing, and so meet the Government's targets?
§ Phil HopeThe hon. Gentleman has decided completely to ignore the facts that I stated. The Government have allowed the release of £5 billion of local authority council house sales receipts, which has been specifically identified for improving the quality of social housing. We are well on track to achieve our target of raising to a decent standard every social housing home by 2010. I would like to see the Conservative party make a pledge to match that spending and guarantee that we achieve improvement in social housing over the next five years.
§ Gregory BarkerI asked a question a moment ago and, given that we are dealing with cross-cutting questions, I was taken aback not to receive a response from the Health Minister who is present. I made a very serious point that women over 70 are being denied health care. That allegation was made by Professor Ian Fentiman of Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' medical school. Will the Health Minister, in his cross-cutting role, provide me with an answer to what the Government are doing and why, when they made a commitment two years ago, nothing has improved?
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr. Stephen Ladyman)I reject that allegation. If the hon. Gentleman can provide evidence of discrimination, we will deal with it. We are committed to removing that sort of discrimination from the service. In support of my contention, surgery for people over 85 with breast cancer has risen by 13 per cent. Our target 146WH for seeing people once cancer is first suspected is the same for all groups. All targets are the same for all age groups.
§ Lady Hermon (North Down)Will the three Ministers reflect on their human rights obligations? They will know that article 3 of the European convention on human rights guarantees to everyone within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom freedom from degrading treatment. Article 14 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of any status whatever. Can the Ministers put their hands on their hearts and say that the measures, legislation and procedures in practice guarantee freedom for elderly people from discrimination and degrading treatment?
§ Dr. LadymanYes, we can give that commitment. The Government will not tolerate age discrimination anywhere that we find it. If any Members have evidence of it, bring it to us, and we will deal with it.