Mr. Justin Moran:

On behalf of Age Action Ireland, I thank the committee for the invitation to speak here today. I will briefly introduce my colleagues. I am joined by our senior policy officer, Ms Naomi Feely, and one of our members, Ms Angela Gallagher, whose story was part of our submission to the committee. Mandatory retirement ages are deeply ageist and that they have been permitted for so long is a reflection of the ageism still publicly acceptable in Ireland. Whereas some people cannot wait to retire and are very eager to do so, there are others who want to keep working. There is a large and growing group of workers who realise that with retirement comes a major drop in income and for these people, the longer they can work, the more they can save. If Deputy Anne Ferris's Bill becomes law, older people who are willing and able to keep working would be able to do so. It would eliminate the growing problem of older people being forced to retire at 65, or even earlier, with years to go until they can claim the State pension. Like everyone else, we welcome the continuing fall in the unemployment figures but although there are schemes and programmes to help young people find work, what is there for a forklift driver forced to retire at 55 or the civil servant pushed aside on her 65th birthday?

Older people frequently tell us they feel they are invisible and undervalued. They see the media refer to them as bed blockers or as a burden on society. Against this backdrop, one would need to be very determined to go job-hunting as an older worker. With people retiring today expected to live, on average, for another 20 years or more, we need to have an honest debate about the role of older workers in Irish society, the kind of honest debate that led, four years ago, to the abolition of the default retirement age in Britain. The abolition of mandatory retirement in Britain was no less challenging, difficult or controversial than it would be in Ireland but the political will was there, the recognition of the rights of older people was there and the understanding that older workers have something to contribute to their communities and to the economy was there. It can be done and as the demographics in Ireland change in the coming years, it will be done. There should be no doubt about this. Mandatory retirement ages will be abolished in Ireland, so why not now?

I will ask my colleague, Ms Angela Gallagher, to add a few words on her own experience of mandatory retirement.