The need for better protections for older people
01/10/2024
Blog by Kathryn Barr, Senior Policy Officer, Equality Commission NI
Writing in his latest blog, Kathry Barr, Senior Policy Officer at the Equality Commission NI, looks at the gaps in protections for older people. She said: Figures show (pdf) that Northern Ireland’s population continues to age. However, there are big gaps in our anti-discrimination legislation when it comes to protecting both older and younger people.
Currently in Northern Ireland, we have a patchwork of inconsistent equality legislation. One of the major issues is the lack of protection against age discrimination outside of employment.
As we celebrate the International Day of Older Persons, this means that older person may be discriminated against when they are trying to access services, such as healthcare or financial services, solely because of their age, they are not protected by equality law. This is different from other equality grounds. For example, generally, if a woman is discriminated against when accessing a service because she is a woman, she can take legal action."