Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Conclusion 3
3rd Report - The rights of older people
Published 19 Feb 2025
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee The rights of older people All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
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 taken less seriously than other forms of discrimination. There is no reason why age should not be included in the Editor’s Code of Practice with the same caveat on genuine relevance to the story as other categories currently covered by clause
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 3rd Report - The rights of older people (HC 414), 19 February 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 May 2025 (deadline 19 April 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and says the Equality Act 2010 already provides "strong protections" for older people, agreeing on digital inclusion and social tariff awareness but giving no commitment to the recommended EHRC review or the proposed unit.
- On social tariffs, the government agrees "more needs to be done to increase awareness" and will work with partners, but has "currently no plans for a regulated social tariff"; it will "keep this under review".
- On a refreshed digital inclusion strategy, it points to the February 2025 Digital Inclusion Action Plan as its "first steps"; the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund will have further details announced "in due course".
- On the proposed EHRC review of age discrimination protections, it says it is "for the Equality and Human Rights Commission" to decide how to allocate its resources, and says it is "engaging with the EHRC" on how best to commence section 14 of the Equality Act on combined discrimination.
- On a Commissioner for Older People in England, it "will however consider" the Welsh experience and evaluation, which will inform thinking "in due course" on any further action.