VINCENT SHANNON,
Sir, - A report in your edition of June 7th entitled "Those who were left outside Ahern's door" says: "It was considered that ... [Dr Wood's\] age made the decision to drop him from the Cabinet easier for the Taoiseach."
If that statement is correct (and I have to assume it is because of its appearance in a reputable newspaper) it amazes me, because it effectively states that the Taoiseach has discriminated on the grounds of age - an activity against which this same Taoiseach's Government has legislated in the Employment Equality Act, 1998 and in the Equal Status Act, 2000.
It is also prohibited by Article 1 of EU Council Directive 2000/78/EC of November 27th, 2000, and is the subject of EU proposals on the "Action on Ageing" drive by the EU to be put to all EU Government Ministers at a summit of EU Ministers in Berlin this autumn.
This will propose that the compulsory retirement age of 65 be abolished throughout the EU. Furthermore, it is the subject of the Equality Authority's Report entitled "Implementing Equality for Older People" which was launched only on the day previous to the publication of Ms O'Connor's report.
I was yet further amazed to subsequently hear a Government Minister, whose age has also been the subject of speculation in the context of his continued membership of the Cabinet, suggest (perhaps jocosely, but of course many a true word is spoken in jest) on RTE that the age of RTE's presenters might be of concern to the station, thus leading perhaps to their demise.
It is a poor look-out if the very people who have the constitutional obligation to protect the rest of us from discrimination on the grounds of age and who themselves, in compliance with that constitutional obligation, have promoted and enacted legislation against such discrimination when practised by others, are themselves actively involved in the very same activity.
Finally, I suppose I can take it that the highly active Equality Authority will be contacting the Taoiseach and the Government Minister in question on the matter I have recorded in this letter. - Yours, etc.,
VINCENT SHANNON,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.