To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has a standard retirement age; and how many employees have been asked to retire on reaching 65 years of age in each year since 2000. (218303)

The Department has a standard retirement age of 65, which was introduced on 1 October 2006. It works on the assumption that staff will not wish to work beyond the age of 65, but welcomes requests from those who wish to carry on working. Since 1 October 2006, no requests have been refused. The fairly recent introduction of a standard retirement age of 65 means that before 1 October 2006 staff were not asked or expected to retire on reaching 65.