§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 8 June 1999,Official Report, column 303, on widows, what advice he has received on the availability of full-time paid work for widows aged 45 to 60 years entering the job market in different parts of the country. [86940]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 14 June 1999]The availability of full-time paid work for widows aged 45 to 60 years will depend on local labour market conditions. Nationally, the total number of people in work has reached 27 million and unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in 19 years with 1.285 million out of work and claiming benefits.
We are committed to tackling age discrimination in employment and have recently published its code of practice on "Age Diversity in Employment". The impact of the code will be evaluated and this will inform future plans for legislation in this area.