NI ministers introduce new age discrimination legislation

NI Junior Ministers Jennifer McCann and Jonathan Bell today announced proposals on the way forward for new age discrimination legislation on the provision of goods, facilities and services.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to extend legislation to give legal protection from unfair age discrimination by those providing goods, facilities and services. The proposed legislation will apply to people aged 16 and over.

Junior Minister McCann said “The aim of the new legislation is to protect all people aged 16 and over from discrimination because of their age when accessing goods, facilities and services.

“This will put age discrimination outside work on a similar footing to discrimination law in employment. It sends out the clear message that ageist attitudes and practices are as unacceptable in service provision as in the workplace.”

Junior Minister Bell commented: “We are eager to progress this Programme for Government commitment as soon as possible. It will give individuals confidence to know their rights to fair treatment, and provide legal clarity for service providers.

“The next step will be to bring forward a consultation document in the near future, setting out our proposals. Following consultation, we will then consider all the options available to us for bringing this legislation before the Assembly.”

In certain circumstances it is appropriate to treat people differently because of age, such as the prohibition on the sale of alcohol to people under 18. The proposals will not affect other legislation which currently imposes statutory age limits.

The Commissioner for Older People, Claire Keatinge, has welcomed the announcement saying: “We are an ageing society here in Northern Ireland, with more and more people living longer, healthier lives than ever before.

“Protection from discrimination on the grounds of age is a vital part of how our society respects and supports people, and particularly older people.

“What this legislation means is that organisations and service providers will no longer be able to use age as a factor for excluding people. This will be particularly important in the provision of health and financial services, where older people often find themselves denied certain treatments or forced to pay higher premiums as a result of their age.

“Whilst it does not make sense to discriminate against any age group, I am delighted that older people in Northern Ireland will soon be protected by the most age-inclusive legislation in terms of Goods, Facilities and Services provision across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

“Older people are deserving of the highest level of service provision, and nothing short of protection through the law can ensure that they are not discriminated against on the grounds of age.”