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Older People

Answer

The department has not recently had any discussions on a separate impact assessment process for older people. However, age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 which confers a duty on public authorities, including the Department of Health, to pay due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and promote good community relations in everything they do. As a result, departmental officials routinely assess the potential impact of their work on people with a range of protected characteristics, including age. Such work may not always take the form of a discrete impact assessment but understanding the potential impact of departmental policies on older people is inherent in the public sector equality duty in Section 149(1) of the aforementioned Act. Across government, we are committed coherently to addressing the issues that affect older people. The Department for Work and Pensions leads on strategy for our ageing society and helps to co-ordinate this agenda across government. The Minister of State for Pensions and the Minister of State for Care Services jointly co-chair the UK Advisory Forum on Ageing. The forum provides an opportunity to bring together the representative views of older people and provides advice to Ministers across government on the steps that it and its partners need to take to improve well being and independence in later life. The department is currently running an engagement exercise on the reform of social care, ““Caring for Our Future”” until 2 December. Through this process, we are inviting views from a wide range of interested people and groups, including people who use care and support services, carers, local councils, care providers, and the voluntary sector.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

13142; 732 c164-5WA

Session

2010-12

Subjects

Older people Policy Impact assessments

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk