Women and Equality written question – answered at on 20 April 2009.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent assessment she has made of her policy on (a) age-based concessions in the insurance industry and (b) age limits on group holidays.
We have always been clear that the legislation banning age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services—to be included in the Equality Bill—will bite on harmful age discrimination and allow justifiable and beneficial age-based practices to continue.
The legislation will not prevent different treatment on grounds of age in the provision of insurance, where this is based on actuarial evidence. Nor will it prevent holidays for particular age groups.
Consideration of how to frame the legislation is continuing, taking account of relevant evidence such as the October 2008 report of the Financial Services Expert Working Group established by Government to provide and analyse evidence of the implications and impacts of outlawing age discrimination, and recent research published by the Association of British Insurers in March 2009. In addition, the Government Equalities Office has recently commissioned additional independent research to explore this area further.
We will consult on our detailed proposals for the exceptions from the ban on age discrimination in the summer.
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