Equality Commission Northern Ireland

TEL 028 90 500 600

Individuals

Delivering equality

Unsure of your equality rights or the law? We can provide advice and assistance for people who feel they have been discriminated against.

Age

Service related problem

What you need to know

At present, age discrimination law doesn't cover services and it only applies to employment, vocational training and further and higher education.

We believe that people of all ages should be protected against unlawful age discrimination and harassment when accessing goods, facilities and services and have proposed changes to the law.

Is the law likely to change?

The Government has pledged to widen the scope of the law to include goods, facilities and services, for example financial services such as insurance; service in shops and bars, or health and social care. We are working to extend the law to cover not only the upper end of the age spectrum, but also the under 18s.

Have your say

The Northern Ireland Executive is considering introducing new legislation that will give greater protection for older people against discrimination when accessing goods and services.

We are keen to hear from you if you are an older person and believe that you have been treated unfairly because of your age when accessing goods and services. Your experiences will help illustrate the impact that this proposed new legislation will have on the lives of older people in Northern Ireland.

Examples may be as follows:

Your doctor fails to refer you for medical treatment such as cancer treatment, a hip or knee replacement or heart surgery, because of your age.
Your GP refuses to prescribe you certain medication or refer you for certain investigations, such as blood tests or x-rays, because you have reached a certain age.
Your travel, health or motor insurance has been withdrawn or made excessively expensive because you have reached a certain age.
You have had difficulty finding a suitable course or attending a course at a college of further or higher education because of your age.
You are treated with disrespect or patronised because you are an older person by a nurse or care worker.
You receive poor standards of care while in hospital because you are an older person.
A computer salesperson makes offensive remarks and jokes based on an assumption about your ability to use a computer.
A health care professional disregards your choices or excludes you from decisions about your care because of your age.
You have been refused a loan or have had difficulty using your bank account because you are an older person.

Contact us
If you would like to discuss your experiences of age discrimination in confidence, please contact:

Roisin Mallon Tel: 028 90 500 551, email: rmallon@equalityni.org

< Problem with a service

Ask for advice
If you require information or advice please complete our online form. All information you submit is confidential – and if you wish to be contacted by us, please let us know the best way for you. You don’t have to share any personal information with us – we will not be able to identify you if that is your preference.

Alternatively, contact us:

Telephone: 028 90 500 600
Email: information@equalityni.org

Address:
Equality House
7-9 Shaftesbury Square
Belfast BT2 7DP

The Government has pledged to widen the scope of the law to include goods, facilities and services, for example financial services such as insurance; service in shops and bars, or health and social care. There isn't currently any legislation covering discrimination in these areas.

The Commission made proposals for reform in 2012 in order to strengthen protection for all ages in this area.