Member's statement: Age Discrimination

Member's statement by Ms Claire Sugden on 7 April 2025.

MLA

Ms Claire Sugden

Party at the time

Independent

Date

7 April 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Age Discrimination

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4890282

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Last month, I launched a public consultation on new legislation to tackle age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services, which should have been addressed in Northern Ireland long ago. At present, it is still entirely lawful for someone to be treated unfairly simply because of their age when trying to access everyday services from insurance to financial products, car hire to travel and, in some cases, even healthcare. Other parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland have already legislated to stop that. Northern Ireland is now the only region without that protection. That failure sends a clear message that age-based discrimination is tolerated here and that people, older people in particular, are not valued equally. I cannot accept that, and I know that many others across the House will not accept it either. When I first entered the Assembly over 11 years ago, I made it a point to get into the heart of my constituency. The most active and organised voices that I encountered were from older people's groups, and this was the first issue that they raised. That led me to establish the all-party group on ageing and older people, and I have worked closely with the sector ever since. My motivation has come from those conversations with older people, but the legislation will protect people of all ages. Age discrimination can affect younger people too, whether it is in financial services, access to housing or how they are perceived when trying to access services. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, regardless of their age. The legislation is not about giving anyone special treatment; it is about equality. It is about ensuring that people are judged on their circumstances and needs and not their date of birth. It is also about the bigger picture and how we value people in our society. We have an ageing population. Many live longer, often with complex needs and without the support networks that they once had. At the same time, we have seen cuts to transport, community services and benefits. Isolation is rising, and issues such as elder abuse remain under-recognised and under-reported. I saw that at first hand as Justice Minister. One of the first events that I supported was a conference on tackling elder abuse, an area where the silence has been deafening. Yet, despite all that, Northern Ireland has still not delivered on that basic protection. It is the last major equality legislation left to enact. For a region that talks so often about equality and rights, that omission is hard to justify. Therefore, I encourage Members from across the House to support the consultation and to encourage their constituents, local groups and service providers to respond. It is time to bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of these islands. It is time to show that age discrimination in any form has no place in our society.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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