NEWS IN BRIEF

The Government recently announced that it was bringing forward a review of the default retirement age (DRA) from 2011 to 2010, which was introduced when the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations came into effect in October 2006. It is now asking for evidence to inform that review.

The review will be conducted jointly by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and will consider whether the default retirement age of 65 remains appropriate and necessary.

As part of the review, it has commissioned a major research project – the Survey of Employers’ Policies, Practices and Preferences relating to age (SEPPP) – which, it says, will provide an insight into employers’ age based practices, in particular the use of the default retirement age.

However, because it wants to take into account the broadest possible range of evidence to inform the review, the Government is asking all stakeholders (including trade unions) and interested individuals to now submit evidence in the following broad areas:

• The operation of the default retirement age in practice
• The reasons that businesses use mandatory retirement ages
• The impacts on businesses, individuals and the economy of raising or removing the default retirement age
• The experience of businesses operating without a default retirement age
• How could any costs of raising or removing the DRA be mitigated and benefits realised.

The closing date for submissions is 1 February 2010.

For more information, go to:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/Default%20retirement%20age/index.html