Age Discrimination

Delegates may recall that similar motions to this have appeared on the Agendas for the NIC BDCs in 2016 and 2021 

It is reprehensible that the legislation to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of age in the provision of goods facilities and services has not yet been passed in Northern Ireland despite equivalent legislation already being in place in England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. 

The legislation was almost ready to be passed when the institutions of The Belfast Agreement collapsed in January 2017 so in 2021 a motion was once again proposed by the NIC and appeared on the Agenda for the 2021 NIC BDC. 

What happened next is history but the older generation in NI is once again left without the protection of the laws which their counterparts in the other parts of the UK and the ROI enjoy. 

Conference believes that age discrimination legislation in relation to goods facilities and services must;  

• Be framed with a strong purpose clause containing a series of clearly articulated goals. 
• Include the public, private and voluntary sector in its scope. 
• Include strong protections for older people across all areas of goods facilities and services, in particular health and social care and financial services 
• Include people of all ages in the scope of the legislation. 
• Learn from the experience of the pandemic not to marginalise our elder citizens but to value their continued contribution to our society.  

Its fulfilment would be a tribute to all older citizens but especially those who did not survive the pandemic.

The Equality Commission, Age NI and the Commissioner for Older people have now taken up this issue and Conference calls on the NIC to work with these organisations and to bring the matter up at any meetings with ministers and with the NI Minister so that older people may belatedly get justice.