Thoughts on Retirement and David Brent (Created by Ricky Gervais)

Business Minister Pat McFadden and Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society Angela Eagle have today issued a joint statement calling for evidence on retirement ages to be submitted by 1st February 2010.

Angela Eagle MP said: "As people live and work for longer, it is sensible that we have the debate on what works for business and individuals.

The laws around employment and retirement need to reflect changes in economic and social circumstances. "That is why earlier this year we announced we were bringing the review of the default retirement age forward to 2010. Today we are asking for evidence to be submitted by 1st February to allow that to happen."

Pat McFadden MP said: "The default retirement age is a subject that employees, the business community, trade unions and charities all have a strong interest in. "We want to receive information from all of these parties as it is important that our review is based on robust, detailed and wide-ranging evidence."

The government has asked businesses and individuals to submit evidence on the default retirement age, to feed into the review taking place next year. The evidence requested includes:

1. the operation of the default retirement age in practice;
2. the reasons that businesses use mandatory retirement ages;
3. the impacts on businesses, individuals and the economy of raising or removing the default retirement age;
4. the experience of businesses operating without a default retirement age;
5. how could any costs of raising or removing the DRA be mitigated

Submissions are requested by 1 February 2010 and should be emailed to draevidence@bis.gov.uk and/or posted to DRA Evidence, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, V497, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET.

Let’s leave the final word on retirement to the inimitable David Brent, created by Ricky Gervais. “You grow up, you work half a century, you get a golden handshake, you rest a couple of years and you’re dead.

And the only thing that makes that crazy ride worthwhile is ‘Did I enjoy it? What did I learn? What was the point?’ That’s where I come in. You’ve seen how I react to people, make them feel good, make them think that anything’s possible. If I make them laugh along the way, sue me.

And I don’t do it so they turn round and go ‘Thank you David for the opportunity, thank you for the wisdom, thank you for the laughs.’ I do it so, one day, someone will go ‘There goes David Brent. I must remember to thank him.’”

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