A chara, - I was interested, but not surprised, to read the headline in your edition of January 25th that "Only 25 per cent want to work past 65". According to Census 2002, only 6 per cent of people aged over 65 are in fact in employment.
This suggest that 19 per cent of people over 65 (approximately 82,000 people) have been forced to retire against their will. Continuing in the workforce should be encouraged: it is as beneficial to our economy and society as it is to the individuals themselves.
There can be absolutely no justification for forcing people to retire on grounds of age alone. It is perhaps reflective of the prejudice that exists at all levels in this society that this discrimination is so trivialised in your headline, and I have called for an urgent debate on the issue of ageism in the Seanad. - Is mise,
Senator MARY WHITE, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2.