Call to end boards age limit

AGE limits for people serving on the boards of Scottish public bodies should be scrapped, a Holyrood committee has said.

Applications for such posts have more than halved over the past five years.

The Scottish Parliament's audit committee said age barriers, which restricted board membership to those under 70, had prevented potentially valuable candidates from applying for some posts. The committee's report also said complex application forms - some up to 13 pages long - could deter people, and risked limiting the membership of boards.

Committee convener, Labour MSP Hugh Henry said: "We recommend that the Scottish Government takes urgent action to address these unjustifiable age barriers."