Welfare Reform Green Paper

My Lords, I thank my noble friend, and of course he is right to suggest that there is a read-across to the Turner commission and the Government’s decisions in relation to that. We have made some progress here in relation to older workers. I think that the definition of older workers is those of 50 and over, which will come as some surprise—indeed, shock—to your Lordships. There have been advances in recent years, however. The New Deal 50 plus has supported over 150,000 job starts since April 2000. We have had the Age Positive campaign, promoting the business case for an age-diverse workforce. My noble friend’s point about employers and their attitude is important. The age discrimination legislation which will be brought forward will also encourage the employment of older people. There is no question that older people can bring a lot to a company: maturity, skills, leadership and many other attributes. In the autumn, I visited B&Q in Bolton, which has employed older people. There is no doubt that customers like it. I met some employees in their 70s who were enjoying working, and the income. The more that we can recognise that, and acknowledge the work of employers and employees, the more that we can ensure that older people are able to remain in work.