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The Government risks a ‘missed opportunity’ if there is no cross-departmental strategy to address the UK’s ageing population, the Women and Equalities Committee has warned, following the Government’s response published recently (Friday 16 May) to its Rights of Older People report.

• Read the response
• Read the response (PDF)
• Inquiry: Rights of older people
• Women and Equalities Committee

The number of people in older age groups is increasing - with 11 million people in England and Wales aged 65 or older and over half a million people aged over 90. In 20 years, the UK’s over 65 population is expected to increase by five million, including an additional one million people aged 85 years or older.

Despite the growth of these cohorts, the UK Government’s equalities machinery omits a specific focus on demographic change and ageing, WEC’s February report found. 

It called on the Cabinet Office to establish a unit of data and policy analysts within the Office of Equality and Opportunity (OEO) to build an evidence base on the key cross-departmental challenges, including intersectional issues, facing older people now and in the coming decades.    

But in its response, the Government recently said:

“We are taking a cross-government approach to directly address the range of challenges faced by older people in this country.

"Support services range from employment support to health and social care, as outlined above, and it is right that these services sit under the jurisdiction of the appropriate Department.

"OEO (Office for Equality and Opportunity) already has analysts who look at intersections between different characteristics, including age.”

WEC’s report recommended stronger legal protections against age discrimination to tackle ‘widespread’ and ‘culturally embedded’ ageism. It also called on the UK Government to assess the experience in Wales, which has a well-established Commissioner for Older People and a comprehensive network of local authority Older People’s Champions helping to deliver a national strategy, with a view to replicating a similar framework in England. 

The Government’s response recently said:

“The Government believes that the Equality Act 2010 already provides a strong framework for protecting older people from discrimination in a variety of settings and indeed actively promotes positive initiatives, for example by allowing services and opportunities to be offered at discounted prices for those of pension age.

“We will however consider the experience and effectiveness of the Commissioner for Older people in Wales, including any evaluation, lessons learned or other evidence of impact and effectiveness.

"This will inform thinking in due course on any further action that might be taken in England, including the possible use of Older People’s Champions at local or regional levels.

"Where appropriate, the Government will liaise with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure that any plans are complementary to its role, working towards shared and realistic objectives.”

In its report WEC urged the Government to prioritise the development of a new digital inclusion strategy that includes a detailed focus on the needs of older people, including a plan for locally delivered digital skills provision and promotion of best practice in maintaining offline alternatives to digital for as long as needs remain.  

Referring to its recent Digital Inclusion Action Plan, the Government recently said:

“The government understands that digital exclusion creates new inequalities and exacerbates existing ones. We also know that certain groups, including older people, are at greater risk. Tackling this issue is a priority for this government.

“In the Digital Action Plan outlined above, we identify five target groups who will benefit most from digital inclusion interventions, including older people, and outline the first five actions that we are taking to promote digital inclusion by boosting digital skills and confidence, widening access to devices and connectivity, and getting support to people in their own communities.”

Chair comment

Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Labour MP Sarah Owen recently said:

“The lack of a cross-departmental Government strategy on demographic change and ageing represents a significant missed opportunity, as the UK’s growing and increasingly diverse ageing population presents significant challenges and opportunities.

“While the Digital Inclusion Action Plan published in the weeks after WEC’s report is welcome, a comprehensive review of age discrimination law is a necessary step in tackling the UK's pervasively ageist culture. 

"The Committee’s report showed clearly that age discrimination is widespread in the UK and that older people struggle to enforce their rights.

“The UK Government should consider how to give older people a much stronger voice in policy making in England. Wales already has a dedicated Commissioner for Older People and a national strategy. Ultimately much more must be done to address the UK’s demographic challenge.”

Further information

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