Review of the Default Retirement Age: Summary of the stakeholder evidence (RR675)
Compulsory retirement ages below 65 became unlawful in most cases under the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.
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By Wendy Sykes, Nick Coleman and Carola Groom
Compulsory retirement ages below 65 became unlawful in most cases under the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. A Default Retirement Age (DRA) was retained so that compulsory retirement at 65 or above remained lawful and subject to a set procedure. The Departments for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have been conducting a wide ranging review of the operation of the DRA which will help decide whether to retain, change or end it. As part of the review, the Government issued a public call for evidence to which a range of external stakeholders responded. They included employer and employee representative bodies, age and equality campaign organisations, professional bodies and individual businesses. The evidence they submitted included surveys, case studies, literature reviews and soundings of opinion.
This report summarises the stakeholder evidence. The authors analysed each stakeholder submission, separated views and opinions from evidence, and examined the evidence to determine what aspects relevant to the DRA it covered, what methodology was used and what results obtained. The evidence on various aspects of the review was compared across the submissions. The report sets out the views and opinions given by stakeholders for and against a DRA. It also contains a systematic presentation of the individual items of evidence under headings that cover: employers’ current practices on retirement; individuals’ experiences and attitudes; the value and capability of older workers and issues of concern to them; and the potential impact on employers, individuals and the economy of keeping, raising or removing the DRA.