EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 50 YEARS

That this House welcomes the Government's efforts to prevent discrimination against older people; further welcomes its proposal to change the law, so that over-65s will no longer be automatically sacked; notes the case of Mr Kevin Forbes, a Harlow man who was made redundant, but cannot access retraining or support because he is not on benefits; further notes that he has applied for more than 4,700 jobs without any success, despite being highly qualified in information technology; calls on the public and private sectors to value the contribution that older people can make; and further calls on them to support the Government's commitment radically to improve back-to-work schemes for older people.