Debate contribution: Ageing Population: Strategic Plan

Debate contribution by Ms Aisling Reilly on 25 February 2025.

MLA: Ms Aisling Reilly
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 25 February 2025
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Ageing Population: Strategic Plan
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4815198

Text

I very much welcome the opportunity to respond to the motion. I agree with the wording of the Member's motion: our ageing population presents "challenges and opportunities". Addressing those is a key priority. Often, we talk about our young people and future generations and rightly so, but we cannot forget the here and now, which is today's generation. They are our family, our loved ones, our mummies and daddies, and ageing will come to every one of us. We live longer, so it is essential that government policies and services adapt to support older people to live active, independent and fulfilling lives. When we talk about older people, we are talking about our parents, grandparents, friends and family. Around 20% of our population is aged 65 or over, and that figure is projected to rise significantly in the coming decades. The demographic shift will have an impact on key areas such as health and social care, housing, transport and the labour market. Therefore, strategic planning is vital to ensuring that our ageing population is supported. The consultation on the draft Programme for Government closed in November. Through the PFG, we are keen to support people of all ages, including older people. Throughout the consultation process, we have made every effort to meet older people and the groups that support them to hear their views. That work has paid off: a third of those who responded to the PFG consultation were over the age of 55, so we are confident that the interests of older people will be well represented in the PFG. Work is ongoing in earnest to analyse the over 1,400 responses received and produce a consultation report for consideration by the Executive. Furthermore, the active ageing strategy is currently overseen by the Department for Communities. The strategy was initially launched in 2016 and was due to expire in 2020. However, the Executive refreshed and extended the life of the strategy to May 2022 to allow time for the development of a new strategy in consultation with all the relevant stakeholders. The stated purpose of the active ageing strategy is:
"to transform attitudes to, and services for, older people. It aims to increase the understanding of the issues affecting older people and promote an emphasis on rights, value and contribution."
The overall vision is to create:
"an age friendly region in which people, as they grow older, are valued and supported to live actively to their fullest potential; with their rights respected and their dignity protected."
Overall, the strategy achieved progress on a number of fronts. There has been:
"a statistically significant improvement in the confidence of people over 60 years old as measured by self-efficacy ... action to promote and support the adoption of age friendly measures across our 11 council districts, including the launch of an Age Friendly Network; hundreds of older people’s homes upgraded under the Affordable Warmth Scheme ... an improving trend in respect of the internet use of people over 50 and over 65 years old".
Since the expiry of the strategy's time frame, the Department for Communities has undertaken evaluation studies and gathered data in anticipation of the development of a successor strategy that is fit for purpose in a context that is very different from that of 2016. Engagement with the sector is crucial to the development process to ensure that the voices of older people are heard. During the lifetime of the current strategy, there was significant stakeholder engagement with older people and their representative organisations. On the basis of that engagement and the evidence that officials had gathered, it became apparent that the existing strategic framework remained appropriate. Therefore, the Communities Minister recently decided to retain the existing strategy and to create a new action plan based on its framework. The final decisions on the timings and content of any new action plan will be subject to Executive agreement. Legislation to prevent discrimination on the basis of age in relation to goods, facilities and services would provide protection from discrimination for a range of age groups. We recognise, however, that it is a particularly important issue for older people. I acknowledge Ms Sugden for tabling the motion, for her clear intention to bring forward a private Member's Bill on the issue and for keeping our ageing population at the fore of Members' minds in the House and the Executive. She is a true champion, but we all need to be champions for our older population. Pam and I, along with officials from TEO, recently met Claire to discuss her proposed Bill and some of the challenges around developing legislation on the issue. It is clear that the development of the Bill will require careful consideration and work to inform its potential scope, as well as the required exemptions. Our officials continue to review the current position and are liaising with stakeholders on the development of age-related goods, facilities and services legislation. Before I conclude, I will touch on Mr McGrath's and Ms McLaughlin's comments on the Commissioner for Older People. I can say that, following the public appointment competition, an announcement on the successful candidate for that post will be made very shortly. We concur that our older people not only make a vital contribution to our society but add to it. It is so important that we keep working together to protect their well-being and ensure that their rights are protected and their needs are fully met.

908 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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