Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take further steps to provide support to people who wish to work beyond pension age.

To help older people to stay in employment up to and beyond state pension age, the Government has abolished the default retirement age and extended the right to request flexible working. People over State Pension age continue to be exempt from paying employee National Insurance Contributions on any employment earnings.

This Government has also given people more freedom in how they draw their pension pots to smooth the transition to retirement and increasing the options for combining employment and pension income.

And from later this year Fit for Work will provide occupational health assessment and general advice for employees, employers and GPs to help individuals with a health condition to stay in or return to work.

To promote wider cultural change in the perception of employing older workers and of working in later life, the Government has appointed Dr. Ros Altmann as a Business Champion for Older Workers.