The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make it unlawful to discriminate against employees, job seekers and trainees because of their age. This includes direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. The regulations also:

• removed upper age limits on unfair dismissal and redundancy
• introduced a national default retirement age of 65, making compulsory retirement below 65 unlawful unless objectively justified
• gave all employees the right to request to work beyond 65 or any other retirement age set by the company

It is not unlawful to request a candidate's date of birth but an employer must be careful not to use it to discriminate.

Yes. The regulations apply to all workers, including office holders, police, barristers and partners in a business. They also cover related areas such as membership of trade organisations, the award of qualifications, the services of careers guidance organisations, employment agencies and vocational training providers, including further and higher education institutions.

The regulations also cover you if you apply to an organisation for work, or if you already work for an organisation – whether you're directly employed, work under some other kind of contract, or are an agency worker. Employers are also responsible for the behaviour of their employees towards an individual working for someone else but on their premises, for example if you're in another organisation repairing a piece of equipment.

If you feel you've been discriminated against, you'll be able to bring a claim to an Employment Tribunal. However, it's best to talk to your employer first to try to sort out the matter informally, in order to minimise the negative effects on all parties involved.

Through the Acas Helpline (08457 47 47 47) you can get advice on specific problems, and explore alternatives to an Employment Tribunal claim, such as mediation or Pre-Claim Conciliation, where appropriate.

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make it unlawful to discriminate against employees, job seekers and trainees because of their age. This includes direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. The regulations also:

• removed upper age limits on unfair dismissal and redundancy
• introduced a national default retirement age of 65, making compulsory retirement below 65 unlawful unless objectively justified
• gave all employees the right to request to work beyond 65 or any other retirement age set by the company

Yes. It is not unlawful to request a candidate's date of birth but asking for age-related information on an application form could allow discrimination to take place. It would be best practice to remove the date of birth/age from the main application form and include it in a diversity monitoring form to be retained by HR/personnel.

Yes. The regulations apply to all workers, including office holders, police, barristers and partners in a business. They also cover related areas such as membership of trade organisations, the award of qualifications, the services of careers guidance organisations, employment agencies and vocational training providers, including further and higher education institutions.

The regulations also cover anyone who applies to an organisation for work, or who already works for an organisation – whether they are directly employed, work under some other kind of contract, or are an agency worker. You will also be responsible for the behaviour of your employees towards an individual working for someone else but on their premises, for example someone from another organisation repairing a piece of your equipment.

Yes, you are covered by the regulations except for the provisions covering retirement and the right to request. Partnerships will need to objectively justify their decisions on age issues and for retirement. It would be sensible for partners to have clear records of these decisions at partnership meetings to show they meet business objectives, are properly considered and regularly reviewed. Such records may help support any case for objective justification.