Ms Maureen Kavanagh:

Deputy Eric Byrne has given us a fine example of ageism. It was a perfect way for him to begin his contribution. Active Retirement Ireland is concerned with changing attitudes among and about older people. There is no definitive answer as to the age at which a person is categorised as old, but what is true is that we are all getting older. Deputy Byrne spoke about climbing mountains, which I was delighted to hear. Why should we not be climbing mountains as we get older? A group of our members will be going surfing in Bundoran in September. They are all in their 80s but it is something they want to do. It is all about adjusting perceptions about what one can and cannot do as one gets older. Deputy Byrne told us how he is X age and he still climbs mountains. That is what we should be aiming for, but the debate has to happen. The EU could lead on this issue in the same away as it led the fight for equality for women. In the 1970s, for example, it was quite normal to see women in bikinis advertising cars, but as efforts to implement gender equality were advanced, people began to question how women were being portrayed in the media. There should be a similar effort to prevent the media from always depicting older people as being on zimmer frames. That is ageism and the EU could take a massive lead on addressing it.

On the question of measures for workers, members will recall some of the great initiatives that were run under FÁS whereby young workers were able to go abroad to do work experience and bring that back into the workplace. Consideration should be given to developing trans-Europe programmes under which people could work in a company abroad, for example, and gain skills and experience. The possibilities are endless because we are all one. We need to break down borders not just across tourism and active citizenship but across all areas. It is about working towards a union of all the people of Europe.