GOV.UK
Consultation outcome
Phasing out the Default Retirement Age
This consultation was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
This consultation has concluded
Download the full outcome
Original consultation
This consultation ran from to
Summary
The government will phasing out the Default Retirement Age (DRA). This consultation explains how the Government is proposing to remove it.
Documents
Consultation description
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations, which came into force on 1 October 2006, provide for a default retirement age of 65 that employers can rely on if they wish. The regulations make earlier retirement ages unlawful unless employers can objectively justify them. The regulations also introduced a statutory right for individuals to request postponement of retirement beyond the age of 65 - requests which the employer must consider.
Transcript of ‘Default Retirement Age - Edward Davey’ (DOC, 44 Kb)
The Coalition’s Programme for Government commits the government to phasing out the Default Retirement Age (DRA).
This consultation set out the background to the DRA, and explained how the government is proposing to remove it. This measure is one of the steps that the government is taking to enable and encourage people to work for longer, alongside raising the State Pension Age to 66 faster than currently scheduled and ensuring there is effective support for helping those out of work to find work.
The consultation is now closed, and the response document published below. View the general comments (PDF, 62 Kb) people made about this consultation.