The Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Age Provisions) Regulations 2011

• Citation: S.I. 2011/1069
• Sections: 9

Section 1 Citation, commencement and extent

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Age Provisions) Regulations 2011 and come into force on 6th April 2011.

(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Section 2 Amendments to the Equality Act 2010

(1) Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010 (work: exceptions relating to age) is amended as follows.

(2) Omit paragraph 8 (retirement).

(3) Omit paragraph 9 (applicants at or approaching retirement age).

(4) For paragraph 14 (life assurance), substitute—

Insurance etc.

(14)

(1) It is not an age contravention for an employer to make arrangements for, or afford access to, the provision of insurance or a related financial service to or in respect of an employee for a period ending when the employee attains whichever is the greater of—

(a) the age of 65, and

(b) the state pensionable age.

(2) It is not an age contravention for an employer to make arrangements for, or afford access to, the provision of insurance or a related financial service to or in respect of only such employees as have not attained whichever is the greater of—

(a) the age of 65, and

(b) the state pensionable age.

(3) Sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) apply only where the insurance or related financial service is, or is to be, provided to the employer’s employees or a class of those employees—

(a) in pursuance of an arrangement between the employer and another person, or

(b) where the employer’s business includes the provision of insurance or financial services of the description in question, by the employer.

(4) The state pensionable age is the pensionable age determined in accordance with the rules in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Pensions Act 1995 .

Section 3 Amendments to the Employment Rights Act 1996

(1) The Employment Rights Act 1996 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 98 (fairness of dismissals: general)—

(a) omit subsections (2)(ba), (2A) and (3A), and

(b) in subsection (4), for “In any other case where” substitute “Where”.

(3) Omit sections 98ZA to 98ZH (retirement dismissals) .

(4) In section 105 (redundancy) omit subsection (7IA) .

(5) In section 108 (qualifying period of employment) omit subsection (3)(n) .

(6) In section 112 (remedies for unfair dismissal: orders for compensation), omit subsections (5) and (6) .

(7) In section 120 (basic award in certain cases), omit subsections (1A) and (1B) .

Section 4 Amendments to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006

(1) Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 (duty of employer to consider employee’s request to work beyond retirement) is revoked.

(2) Omit paragraphs 22 to 24, 26 and 28 of Schedule 8 to those Regulations.

Section 5 Transitional provisions

(1) Despite regulations 2 to 4, the provisions mentioned in paragraph (2) continue to have effect in relation to the employment of a person if—

(a) notification in respect of that employment has been given under paragraph 2 or 4 of Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 before the date of the commencement of these Regulations, and

(b) that person has attained the age limit or will attain it before 1st October 2011.

(2) The provisions are—

(a) sections 98(2)(ba), (2A) and (3A), 98ZA to 98ZD, 98ZF to 98ZH, 105(7IA), 108(3)(n), 112(5) and (6) and 120(1A) and (1B) of the Employment Rights Act 1996,

(b) Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, and

(c) paragraph 8 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010.

(3) The age limit is whichever is the greater of—

(a) the age of 65, and

(b) the normal retirement age in the case of the employment concerned.

(4) Despite this regulation—

(a) an employer may not issue a notification under paragraph 2 or 4 of Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 on or after 6th April 2011 in respect of the employment of a person to which this regulation applies; and

(b) an employee may not make a request under paragraph 5 of Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 on or after 5th January 2012 in respect of the employment to which this regulation applies.

(5) In this regulation, “normal retirement age” has the meaning given in section 98ZH of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

(6) This regulation does not apply to the employment of a person if section 98ZE of the Employment Rights Act 1996 would (but for regulation 3(3)) apply to a dismissal from that employment.

Section 6 Transitional provisions

(1) Despite regulations 3 and 4, the provisions mentioned in paragraph (2) continue to have effect in relation to the employment of a person if—

(a) notification in respect of that employment has been given under paragraph 2 or 4 of Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 before the date of the commencement of these Regulations, and

(b) section 98ZE of the Employment Rights Act 1996 would (but for regulation 3(3)) apply to a dismissal from that employment.

(2) The provisions are—

(a) sections 98(2)(ba), (2A) and (3A), 98ZE to 98ZH, 105(7IA), 108(3)(n), 112(5) and (6) and 120(1A) and (1B) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and

(b) Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Section 7 Transitional provisions

Despite regulation 3(6) and (7), sections 112(5) and (6) and 120(1A) and (1B) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 continue to have effect so far as necessary for the transitional provisions in Part 1 of the Schedule to the Employment Act 2008 (Commencement No.1, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2008 .

Section 8 Transitional provisions

Despite regulation 4, paragraphs 9, 12 and 13 of Schedule 6 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 (right of employee to be accompanied at meeting with employer) continue to have effect in a case where paragraph 9 of that Schedule applies immediately before the commencement of these Regulations.

Section 9 Transitional provisions

Regulations 5 to 8 do not affect the general operation of section 16 of the Interpretation Act 1978 .