§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that his Department avoids operating policies which result in age discrimination. [121087]
§ Ms HodgeWe are committed to eliminating age discrimination from the Department's policies and practices in line with the "Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment", published in June 1999. We are conducting a full review of all our personnel procedures to ensure they are consistent with the standards set out in the code.
In addition, in line with our commitments to equality of opportunity, the Department already recruits and promotes people on the basis of their competence to do the job without reference to their age through full fair and open competitions; encourages all staff to take advantage 347W of learning and development opportunities; and has given its staff greater flexibility to choose when they retire between the ages of 60 and 65.
As part of the Department's commitment to continuous improvement, we are currently carrying out a review of the way we ensure that equal opportunities issues, including age, are taken into account in the development of all our policies.