Welfare Reform Bill

I also have been contacted by Age Concern about these amendments. I have done some work for Age Concern in the past and have spoken from time to time on the employment of older people. I should particularly like to draw attention to the provisions in Amendment 27, which recommends a programme of research into employment prospects for people aged over 50. That is necessary because the Government want us all to go on working for longer since we all live longer. Ultimately, we will have to work a great deal longer than we have hitherto, perhaps for longer than my generation has had to work. This means that some pressure has to be exerted on employers to provide the employment opportunities. There is some evidence that the provisions existing in regard to the default retirement age have given employers the opportunity to dispense with the services of older people when they might otherwise not have done so. There is a need for research of the kind recommended in this group of amendments. It would be a good idea to ascertain the position of older people who want to be in the employment market but are finding it increasingly difficult to do so.