Ministers are calling for businesses and individuals to submit evidence on the default retirement age to feed into the review taking place next year.

The government is asking for evidence including:

- the operation of the default retirement age in practice;

- the reasons that businesses use mandatory retirement ages;

- the impacts on businesses, individuals and the economy of raising or removing the default retirement age;

- the experience of businesses operating without a default retirement age;

- how could any costs of raising or removing the DRA be mitigated and benefits realised.

Minister for pensions and the ageing society, Angela Eagle, and business minister Pat McFadden issued a joint statement today calling for this evidence to be submitted by 1 February 2010.

Eagle 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.”

McFadden added: “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.”

Submissions are requested by 1 February 2010 and should be emailed to [email protected]and/or posted to DRA Evidence, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, V497, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET.