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Select Committee · Women and Equalities Committee

The rights of older people

Status: Closed Opened: 20 Sep 2023 Closed: 3 Sep 2025 8 recommendations 5 conclusions 1 report

This inquiry considers key issues faced by older people from their own perspectives and those of expert witnesses, including discrimination lawyers and advocacy organisations. It examines whether there is enough focus on the issues and effective policies to tackle them. It looks at how well older people’s rights are protected in equality law and whether … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
3rd Report - The rights of older people HC 414 19 Feb 2025 13 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
3 Conclusion 3rd Report - The rights of older people Deferred

Editor's Code of Practice inadequately protects older people from age discrimination.

The Editor’s Code of Practice must balance the rights of individuals to protection from discrimination with freedom of expression in the press. The complete omission of age from clause 12 on discrimination gets this balance wrong, leaving older people unprotected and contributing to a widely held perception that ageism is … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government notes IPSO's role in informing the committee and states that the recommendation regarding the Editor's Code of Practice has been shared with the Editors' Code Committee, which will discuss the issue.
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Government Equalities Office
12 Recommendation 3rd Report - The rights of older people Deferred

Mandate Editors’ Code of Practice Committee to include age in clause 12.

The justification of the omission of age from clause 12, set out in the Editors’ Codebook, that journalists must be free to comment on public figures who are “past their prime” is itself overtly ageist. We recommend the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee include age in clause 12 of the … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government notes IPSO's role in informing the committee and states that the recommendation regarding the Editor's Code of Practice has been shared with the Editors' Code Committee, which will discuss the issue; the Code Committee has removed the phrase in question from the 2025 …
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Government Equalities Office
13 Recommendation 3rd Report - The rights of older people Deferred

Establish a new framework for promoting older people's rights in England by year-end, evaluating Welsh model.

We recommend the Government examine the experience in Wales, with a view to replicating a similar framework across England. It should conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Commissioner for Older People 50 role in Wales and its comprehensive network of Older People’s Champions delivering a national strategy across … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government commits to considering the experience and effectiveness of the Commissioner for Older People in Wales, stating this will inform future thinking on potential action in England, but does not commit to establishing a framework by year-end.
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Government Equalities Office

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions
Date Witnesses
11 Dec 2024 Caroline Abrahams CBE · Age UK, Dr Carole Easton OBE · Centre for Better Ageing, Joanna Elson CBE · Independent Age, Rhian Bowen-Davies · Older People's Commissioner for Wales View ↗
17 Apr 2024 Alice Gould · Independent Press Standards Organisation, Kate Biggs · Ofcom, Malcolm Phillips · Committee of Advertising Practice View ↗
28 Feb 2024 Jonathan Boys · Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Natalie Hall · 55/Redefined, Nicola Smith · TUC, Professor Wendy Loretto · University of Edinburgh Business School View ↗
7 Feb 2024 Councillor Gillian Ford · Local Government Association, Declan O'Dempsey · Cloisters Chambers, Dr Alysia Blackham · Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, Dr Emilene Zitkus · Loughborough University, Helen Dobson · Citizens Online, John Kirkpatrick · Equality and Human Rights Commission View ↗
10 Jan 2024 Carole Easton OBE · Centre for Ageing Better, Caroline Abrahams CBE · Age UK, Heléna Herklots CBE · Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Joanna Elson CBE · Independent Age View ↗

Who gave evidence

19 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Caroline Abrahams CBE · Charity Director Age UK 2
Joanna Elson CBE · Chief Executive Independent Age 2
Alice Gould · Head of Complaints Independent Press Standards Organisation 1
Carole Easton OBE · Chief Executive Centre for Ageing Better 1
Councillor Gillian Ford · Deputy Chair, Community and Wellbeing Board Local Government Association 1
Declan O'Dempsey · Barrister Cloisters Chambers 1
Dr Alysia Blackham · Associate Professor Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne 1
Dr Carole Easton OBE · Chief Executive Centre for Better Ageing 1
Dr Emilene Zitkus · Senior Lecturer Loughborough University 1
Helen Dobson · Managing Director Citizens Online 1
Heléna Herklots CBE · Older People's Commissioner for Wales Older People's Commissioner for Wales 1
John Kirkpatrick · Deputy Chief Executive Officer Equality and Human Rights Commission 1
Jonathan Boys · Senior Labour Market Economist Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) 1
Kate Biggs · Content Policy Director Ofcom 1
Malcolm Phillips · Regulatory Policy Manager Committee of Advertising Practice 1
Natalie Hall · Chief Strategy Officer 55/Redefined 1
Nicola Smith · Head of Economics, Employments Rights and Social … TUC 1
Professor Wendy Loretto · Dean and Professor of Organisational Behaviour University of Edinburgh Business School 1
Rhian Bowen-Davies · Older People's Commissioner for Wales Older People's Commissioner for Wales 1

Correspondence

8 letters
DateDirectionTitle
26 Jun 2025 — Correspondence from Secretary, Editors Code of Practice, re The rights of older…
25 Mar 2025 — Correspondence from Chief Executive, Hacked Off, re, The rights of older people…
19 Mar 2025 — Correspondence from Charlotte Dewar, Chief Executive, IPSO, re the rights of ol…
19 Mar 2025 — Correspondence from Jo Poots, Project Sponsor and Head of Complaints and Invest…
24 May 2024 — Correspondence to the Minister for Women and Equalities, relating to the rights…
15 May 2024 — Correspondence from Minister of State (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, C…
17 Apr 2024 — Correspondence to Lord Ahmad Minister of State (Middle East, N Africa, S Asia, …
28 Feb 2024 — Correspondence from the Advertising Standards Authority, relating to the rights…