§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) which organisations representing older people the members of the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People consulted during 1999; and in which regions the programme of public consultation took place; [123033]
(2) what issues and concerns were raised during the public consultation undertaken by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People; [123034]
(3) how he plans to respond to the results of the consultation undertaken during the past year by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People. [123035]
618W
§ Mr. RookerDuring 1999 the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People led a programme of listening events across the UK. The events were put on by a partnership between the Inter-Ministerial Group, the UK Secretariat for the International Year of Older Persons and mainly voluntary sector organisations working with older people. The locations where these events took place and representative organisations involved are set out in the newsletter report "Life begins at 50—the 1999 Listening Events" and summarised in the table.
A number of issues and concerns were raised during the listening events programme. These are covered in the research report "Building a Better Society for Older People—Report on the Listening Events to the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People" by Annette Boaz and Carol Hayden, Warwick Business School, the University of Warwick.
We published on 17 May a report "Life begins at 50—A Better Society for Older People" setting out the key points raised by older people at 1999 listening events, the action the Government have already taken to address them, and the action they will take in the future. On the same day the Secretary of State hosted a National Event in London aimed at promoting positive perceptions of older people; feeding back to those people who had been involved in listening events; and setting out plans to help build a better society for older people.
Copies of all the above publications are in the Library.
Listening to older people events in 1999 Date Host and location 25 May Age Resource, London/world wide web 15 June Age Concern, Northern Ireland Stormont, Belfast 5 July Belfast Third Age Trust, Newcastle 20 July Age Concern, Leamington 29 July Age Concern Cymru and the Welsh Office, Cardiff 8 September Age Concern, England Harrow 11 October NIACE, Liverpool 18 October Southampton City Council and Meridian TV, Southampton 25 October Help the Aged, Truro 19 November Scottish International Year Committee, Aberdeen 26 November Age Concern and local partners, Wolverhampton