Baroness Prashar (CB)

My Lords, I commend the Economic Affairs Committee for producing this report and thank the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, for his comprehensive introduction. The committee has offered a sobering assessment of our inadequate preparedness for an ageing society, and I fully endorse the recommendations of the report, particularly the emphasis on supporting those in their mid-50s and 60s to remain in work or return to work, as well as its call to address the crisis of adult social care. It is, however, regrettable that the Government’s response does not grasp the strategic direction recommended in the report, nor the committee’s call to “act now”. I declare my interest as an ambassador for the Age Irrelevance campaign, which was built on the vision of the late Baroness Greengross, a lifelong campaigner for age inclusion. The campaign’s push for the inclusive language of “era of longevity” as opposed to an “ageing society” captures the need for a holistic approach and the pressing need for younger generations to invest in their own longevity, from both a financial and a health aspect. If we are to move from the idea that an ageing society is a burden that will deplete resources, we need to look it at as a multistage life. We need to move away from the narrative which creates intergenerational division and resentment to one which is designed to create systems that allow people to contribute to society in different ways and at different stages of their life. To achieve that, we need an integrated approach with a positive narrative that shows determination to benefit from the demographic shift and maximise the opportunities it offers. If the pension imperative is that people must work longer, this can be achieved only if it is supported by a national housing strategy, mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Best, which supports rightsizing near places of work, enabled by progressive models to promote work and healthy, longer lives. Longer working lives can be achieved only if they are underpinned by a focus on healthy living, healthy ageing, prevention, and understanding of healthy living and healthy lifestyles from early stages. In preparing for longer lives, financial planning should be mandated in the education curriculum, and we need employers to actively support longer careers and changing working patterns. The Government should also place lifelong learning at the heart of education and, of course, continue to ensure digital inclusion and the use of innovative technology to achieve this. Urgent engagement with the issues raised in the report is very important, and I look forward to an encouraging response from the Minister.