The Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Age Provisions) Regulations 2011, which came in 6 April, with a transitional period for application until the end of September this year, means that the retirement age of 65 no longer applies.

It remains possible to set a default retirement age, if it can be objectively justified and is 'a proportionate response to a legitimate aim'. Such (lower) retirement ages exist already in the emergency services and armed forces, and I am looking for anyone in those types of services to provide information on their justifications in this respect. We do have some operational fire fighters at one of our sites, but do not currently have a retirement age related to that role.

I am assessing the roles in our organisation, starting with those that have an age related frequency increase for health assessment purposes, e.g. Lift Truck Operators, justifiable from HSG6 and DVLA guidance. From first principles, it is likely that the assessment frequency remains constant (as annual from age 65 in the Lift Truck example) and in most other circumstances, referral (self or Manager) or risk assessment would trigger health assessment for continued fitness. There doesn't appear to be a justifiable reason for default retirement ages for roles like this, but I would be interested in any views.