A recent court case Seldon vs Clarkson, Wright and Jakes actually stated that this was a good reason to retire a partner who wanted to remain in service; the accountants in question wanted the opportunity of offering advancement to junior staff who would otherwise leave service. You talk about moving into part time or mentoring. I can just hear somebody saying “I don’t want to. Why can’t I continue going up the scaffolding?”

I would like to pose some questions:
- What has ever prevented an employer asking an employee to stay on after 65? My own father worked to age 80
- What has ever prevented an employee asking an employer whether he could stay on?

Now some scenarios assuming that the default retirement age is removed:
- I am a 40-year-old employee who is off sick. I am unlikely ever to return to work, my company provides both income protection (IP) and life assurance (LA) for its employees. I, like many people, have not got much pension provision and little savings.

a) I am in receipt of IP benefit: when are you going to stop the benefit and what reason are you going to give me?
b) Although I am off sick I still get the benefit of life cover from my employer and being off sick am unable to get cover myself. When are you going to stop my cover and what reason are you going to give me?

I do know of at least one person in this situation. They are very grateful that they do not have to live on the £70+ per week offered by the government.
On the private medical insurance (PMI) front, agreed; senile dementia would not be covered as it is a chronic rather than an acute condition. Let us change the ailment to osteoporosis; again, it is not an acute condition, however one result is that bones can be broken very easily and of course a broken bone may make the person completely unable to work. Just when does an employer stop paying for treatment under a PMI policy?
Lastly, being somewhat facetious, since nobody is allowed to discriminate on grounds of age:

1) Why can’t a 12-year-old go to the pub and buy themselves a beer?
2) Why are there two rates of minimum pay?
3) Why does the government pay me my state pension now?

I look forward to your answers.
Laurence J Power
www.powerimage.co.uk