§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and industry how her Department is working with the(a) EU and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that all EU member states implement the law against discrimination in employment on the grounds of age. [143928]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 16 December 2003]: The European Employment Directive provides a general framework for combating discrimination in employment and vocational training, and lays down minimum requirements for outlawing discrimination on grounds of age, among other matters. It is for individual member states to decide how to implement the requirements in their own state.
The Government are committed to introducing legislation to outlaw age discrimination that is clear and workable in the UK. In order to achieve this, we are working with all appropriate stakeholders across Whitehall and wider.
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