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<p>Such actions would be concerning and potentially unlawful. The Equality Act 2010
provides that it is unlawful age discrimination for a service provider such as a car
hire company to refuse, on age grounds, to lease a vehicle to an otherwise qualified
person, unless the company can objectively justify its decision.</p><p>Where a company
cannot, in those circumstances, show that their leasing policy is a proportionate
means of achieving a legitimate aim, the affected person can bring a case to the County
Court, or Sheriff’s Court in Scotland. The court can then determine whether the “objective
justification test” has been satisfied, and may award costs and compensation where
the individual wins their case. A range of guidance is available to service providers
on their obligations and to service users on their rights, most notably on the Equality
and Human Rights Commission’s website, but also through the Equality and Advisory
and Support Service (EASS). The EASS can be contacted via its website - <a href="http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com"
target="_blank">http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com</a>, or it can be contacted
by telephone on 0808 800 0082 (or by text phone on 0808 800 0084).</p>
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