Age Legislation 2006

Key points:

• Age Regulations are due to come into force 1 October 2006
• Regulations cover employment and vocational training. This includes access to help and guidance, recruitment, promotion, development, termination, perks and pay
• The regulations cover people of all ages, both old and young
• All employers, providers of vocational training, trade unions, professional associations, employers organisations and trustees, and managers of occupational pensions schemes will have new obligations to consider
• Goods, facilities and services are NOT included in these regulations
• Upper age limits for unfair dismissal and redundancy will be removed
• A national default retirement age of 65 will be introduced making compulsory retirement below age 65 unlawful (unless objectively justified). This will be reviewed in 2011
• All employees will have the ‘right to request’ to work beyond the default age of 65 or any other retirement age set by the company and all employers will have a ‘duty to consider’ requests from employees to work beyond 65
• Occupational pensions are covered by the regulations, as are employer contributions to personal pensions. However, the regulations generally allow pensions schemes to work as they do now
• The regulations do not affect state pensions
  
  
• Age Regulations are awaiting parliamentary clearance early 2006.

For further information: www.agepositive.gov.uk