Mary White (Fianna Fail)

In some developed countries today, the proportion of older people is already one in four. During the first half of the 21st century, this proportion is expected to reach one in two. The president of UCD is a doctor as well as president of a university, and he stated that as a medic and health professional, he believed it important to state that as a success story. On the other hand, it poses major challenges for us.

In parallel with increased life expectancy, the fertility rate has declined rapidly. This is leading to what Dr. Brady referred to as an age quake. I do not know if anybody else in the room has heard the term before as I have not. This age quake has never before been seen in history but is one of the greatest medical, social and economic challenges of the 21st century. It arises from all of us in this era living 20 years longer than people in the previous century and younger people of child-producing age not having children, leading to a decrease in fertility rates. I would bet nobody in the Chamber has heard of the term before, although I thought it was a wonderfully profound term.

As a policy-driven Senator, during 2005 and 2006 I held public meetings to discuss the issue of ageing and ageism. I researched many reports and documents on the issue and published a policy document in 2006 entitled A New Approach to Ageing and Ageism. I made 28 recommendations based on public meetings I had in this city and throughout the country at which I listened to what older people had to say and what they wanted.

All the 28 recommendations were important but I will deal specifically with the first two today which concern compulsory retirement at 65 in the public and private secto

The age limit of 65 was introduced when life expectancy was closer to that age but people are now healthier and live longer. People approaching 65 who work in the public and private sectors are only approaching their peak. The Minister of State referred to John McCain who may be the next President of the United States and he will be 72 in January. I am addicted to American television and I have never heard reference to his age. I believe attitudes to older people in Ireland are 40 years behind those in the United States.

In the public and private sectors many thousands of people are forced to retire at 65, despite not wanting to do so. They want a choice in when and how they retire and they may wish to retire gradually. A person who joined the public sector after 2004 need not retire at 65 so the human rights of those who joined the public sector prior to that year are being denied.

I wish to put the Minister of State on red alert that when I return in the autumn I will drive this issue in the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. I want the Government to deliver on the commitment in the programme for Government, which was launched after the new Government was formed, to give people a choice in their retirement and allow them to stop working when they wish.

Senator Mullen will be interested to know that at my public meetings I found it heartbreaking to listen to people approaching retirement in two or three years who did not want to stop working. Many women at those meetings said this was the second time they had experienced this type of discrimination because until 1973 they had to retire from the public sector on getting married. The women at my public meetings said they were being discriminated against twice because they will have to retire again at 65, as they did when they got married.

We are denying people's human rights by not allowing them to work after 65 years of age. Why can TDs and Senators keep their jobs after 65 years of age? Two laws need to be changed.