§ David HamiltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government are doing to encourage private companies to combat age discrimination. [71360]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe Government are determined to combat age discrimination in employment, and are actively doing so under the banner of our Age Positive campaign. We are working hard to encourage companies to use non-ageist employment practices, leading up to the implementation of age legislation in 2006.
In consultation with employers, we have produced the Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment. The Code sets the standard for non-ageist employment practices. Evaluation of the impact of the code shows that the number of companies whose policies discriminate against older people has halved, from 14 per cent. to 7 per cent., since 1999.
Our Age Positive campaign is strongly promoting the business benefits of an age diverse work force to employers of all types. Small and medium sized companies are currently participating in our second series of 20 good-practice workshops. Age Positive awards recognise businesses that are tackling discrimination by means of non-ageist employment policies. Employers are
1033Wsupporting the campaign by sharing their experiences with others. These case studies are on the Age Positive website, together with the Code of Practice and other guidance. Last month we published the report 'Flexible Retirement—a snapshot of large employers' initiatives', which shows that an increasing number of companies are now adopting more flexible retirement policies.