Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I understand what the Minister of State says. Obviously this would need to be thought through properly, and there are implications for industrial relations, and so on. I am concerned that if one waits for all that to happen, it might be too late to do something about it. There should be some kind of timescale, and deadlines. I understand that the EU is considering a compulsory retirement age of 70, or perhaps changing it to 70. It was mentioned in an article but I do not know the details. There should be no age limit. If change is to be made, the age limit should go. I am concerned that we may let this slide. There are other matters to be considered. The one thing that is still politically correct in this country is age discrimination. The step under consideration would be a major one in getting rid of it, and would not involve costs. It would be more likely to be of benefit than of hindrance to the economy and to employers. The Minister of State spoke of discussions, but the Government should give a deadline, and put matters in train now, allowing the various negotiations in the meantime.

We worry about such matters as what might happen if people from the EU accession countries come to Ireland. The article in The Sunday Times of which I spoke noted that those countries have problems too, for example decreasing population. We will face a problem in this area quite soon. If we do not act, we could face an economic crisis. I do not wish to sound as if I am thinking only of the economic aspects, as I am greatly opposed to age discrimination.

There is also the matter regarding "willing and able". That relates to people working at any stage of their lives. We still retain the notion that "ability" might be slightly different when people are older. We do not do so in this House, and we need to get rid of that notion. People can have ability up to any age, or can lose it at an early age. There are many different circumstances. An older person can be just as capable of doing a job as a younger person. If one considers judges, people are wiser and have more experience when they get older. That is a very valuable asset in a workforce.