§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to extend employment protection rights in respect of unfair dismissal to people over 65. [123299]
§ Mr. Sutcliffe[holding answer 3 July 2003]: Under current legislation employees cannot generally complain of unfair dismissal if they have reached their employer's normal retirement age for their job, or, if there is no normal retirement age, the age of 65. The 516W public consultation on age discrimination launched on 2 July, 'Equality and Diversity: Age Matters', proposes changing these provisions so that employees who believe they have been unfairly dismissed can seek redress at any age, but retirement at a justifiable retirement age will be a fair reason for dismissal. A final decision will be made in the light of responses to consultation.