Euro-MP welcomes new Age Discrimination Law

5.48.42pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 29th Sep 2006

London's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Baroness Sarah Ludford has welcomed the coming into force on Sunday of new anti-age discrimination laws, which also coincide with International Day of Older Persons.

The UK's new anti-age discrimination laws implement an EU law on equality in the workplace. Commenting, Sarah Ludford said:

"I strongly welcome the new laws, which mean employers will have to have far better reasons for not employing older people and will not be able to put age limits in their job adverts."

"We should not forget however, that many, including the current UK Government, put up a fierce fight to exclude age from the Equality Directive and that it was only due to pressure from the European Liberal Democrats, Age Concern and Eurolink Age that it was finally included."

According to statistics published by Eurostat today, the EU population aged 65 and over is expected to double between 1995 and 2050. Baroness Ludford commented:

"In the light of the changing demographic structure of our populations across Europe, it is essential now more than ever that gaps in the law and negative stereotyping of older people are addressed. I am delighted that we can celebrate this new anti-discrimination legislation on this year's International Day of Older Persons."

Note:

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, which ban age discrimination in the workplace, come into effect on 1st October 2006.

The deadline for introducing this directive into the UK was December 2003 but the Government requested a 12-month delay for legislation on disability and 3-year delay for age.

For new Eurostat statistics on older people in Europe, see http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2006/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2006_MONTH_09/3-29092006-EN-BP.PDF