§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to address the issue of age discrimination. [109447]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe issue of age discrimination is included in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Equal Opportunity polices and is taken into account when we monitor appraisals recruitment and promotions. We have given staff in bands A to D more flexibility over the age at which they retire, as recommended by the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit report, Winning the Generation Game (2000).
We are also examining our age profile, as part of our Human Resources Planning, to ensure it reflects the working population.