§ Mr. WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to implement Article 13 of the Treaty of Amsterdam with regard to age discrimination. [105596]
§ Ms JowellI have been asked to reply.
At this stage the Commission published its proposal for a framework directive dealing with discrimination in employment and training on the grounds of disability, age, ethnic origin, religion/belief and sexual orientation, which was put forward by the European Commission in November. Negotiations have just begun within the relevant Working Group of the Social Affairs Council and agreement will require unanimity.
The Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment is the centrepiece of our strategy to combat age discrimination in the workplace. The Code, which is non-statutory, sets the standard for non-ageist approaches to recruitment, training and development, promotion, redundancy and retirement. This is backed by detailed guidance and case studies. The Code, launched in June 1999, was developed with the help and advice of some key social partners, including the TUC, CBI, Institute of Personnel and Development, Age Concern and the Employers Forum on Age, among others. To date over 40,000 copies have been issued.
§ Mr. WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many jobs in(a) the Foreign Office and (b) EU institutions have an age limitation. [105595]
§ Mr. VazAll the jobs in the Diplomatic Service and the Home Civil Service of the Foreign Office have a retirement age of 60. For recruitment to the Diplomatic Service there is a lower age limit of 21 and an upper age limit of 52. For the Home Civil Service there is a lower age limit of 16 and an upper age limit of 58.
The upper age limit for recruitment to the EU institutions is 45. The age of retirement is 65.