Amendments to anti-age discrimination regulations laid before Parliament

The Employment Equality (Age) (Amendment No.2) Regulations 2006 have been laid before Parliament. Coming into force on 1 December 2006, the regulations make substantial amendments to Schedule 2 of the main age regulations.

They clarify and extend many of the exemptions relating to trustees and managers of pension schemes. The CBI has hailed these amendments as a victory for common sense.

John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI, said: “We are relieved the government responded to our concerns about the previous set of regulations concerning pensions and age discrimination.

“They would have been an administrative nightmare for employers and ultimately left many employees, especially older workers, worse off."

Concern remains that employers have just two weeks to comply with the new regulations. The Cabinet Office’s Better Regulation Guidelines state that organisations should have a minimum of 12 weeks to comply with new regulations.