The human touch

During a recent meeting with Vince Cable, we made it clear that manufacturers were seriously concerned about the Government’s plans to phase out the default retirement age. Over the coming weeks, I will ensure that Ministers are made fully aware of members’ concerns and this has already begun with discussions that I have recently had with both Ed Davey and Steve Webb, the BIS and DWP Ministers responsible for this policy. 

There are a number of reasons why the Government’s plans to scrap the Default Retirement Age (DRA), so quickly, are a bad idea...

We continue to ensure that manufacturers' voices are heard in the debate over the default retirement age.

During his major speech on pensions reform at Broadway House last week, Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, made it very clear that he wanted the default retirement age of 65 to be phased out as soon as possible.

The Government’s plans for phasing out the default retirement age are being drawn up jointly by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department for Work and Pensions. During a recent meeting with Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business, we made it clear that manufacturers were seriously concerned about the Government’s plans to phase out the default retirement age.

We also urged Dr Cable to ensure that employers were given plenty of time and support to help them address the practical implications of any change.