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Stakeholder Interview Gordon Lishman of Age Concern and Philip Williamson of Nationwide

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Age Concern is pleased that this year's Queen's Speech included a Bill to establish a Commission for Equality and Human Rights. Age Concern has been campaigning for several months for an Equality Bill to be in this year's Queen's Speech. This is a big victory for Age Concern and older people. More info...

Progress on student loans for older people

Age Concern has been lobbying Parliament to remove the rule that prevents people aged over 54 from access to student loans. Age Concern worked to ensure that amendments were tabled in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords on the Higher Education Bill by MPs and Peers who support our calls. We secured real progress during the Committee stages of the Bill in the House of Lords when Education Minister Baroness Ashton of Upholland announced that the Government has agreed to the establishment of a joint working group to consider the issue. Baroness Greengross who supported our calls in the House of Lords by tabling an amendment and speaking several times on the issue has been invited to sit on the Working Group, as have Age Concern England. More info...

Age Discrimination: Mandatory Retirement Ages

Age Concern England is calling on the Government to abolish mandatory retirement ages. We have been campaigning to end age discrimination in all walks of life for a number of years; we believe older people should have the right to work if they are willing and able and as part of our current campaign to scrap retirement ages we have published a new report "Choose, not Lose, the Right to Work." The report outlines Age Concern's calls on the Government to end mandatory retirement ages as part of its agenda to implement the age discrimination legislation. More info...

First victory for 'women and pensions' campaign

During the Committee Stage of the Pensions Bill on Tuesday April 27, Pensions Minister, Malcolm Wicks MP announced that the Government will publish a new report on women and pensions next year. The report - an idea put forward by Age Concern - will be the first to look in detail at improving women's retirement income. The minister undertook to produce a report on women and pensions before the end of 2005 -and consider its impact with a view to perhaps publishing a report in every parliament rather than annually. This is due to the pressure that Age Concern and other charities, unions and MPs have brought to bear on the Government on the issue of women and pensions. Signatures continue to be added to the Women and Pensions Early Day Motion, 170 have now signed; over a quarter of all MPs. More info...

Women and Pension's Campaign

One in Four - Age Concern and the Fawcett Society have launched a report 'One in Four' as part of our Let's Make Pensions Work for Women campaign. Our report highlights the fact that one in four single women pensioners live in poverty and makes sensible recommendations to redress this injustice. More info...