A decision on whether to raise, retain or scrap the retirement age is still
some time off, despite newspaper claims it is imminent.
The Sunday Times claimed a leaked cabinet paper revealed that ministers
intend to raise or abolish the retirement age of 65 and plan to make an
announcement "within weeks".
But sources at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) denied this when
asked by Personnel Today, saying a final decision was far from made and an
announcement had definitely not been scheduled.
The Sunday Times also claimed that a letter from trade and industry
secretary Patricia Hewitt "anticipates a Cabinet row over any
decision".
The Government is planning action on retirement age to meet the EU directive
banning age discrimination at work.
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The DTI has been consulting widely with business, to assess the impact of
raising mandatory retirement ages.
The CBI and manufacturing body EEF are both worried any alteration will make
it difficult to manage older workers.
