The Employment Equality Act, 1998, which came into operation on 18 October 1999, prohibits discrimination in relation to employment on nine grounds, including age, and covers employment in both the public and private sectors. The Act is comprehensive and deals with all areas relevant to employment, including access to employment, conditions of employment, remuneration, promotion and vocational training. The age provisions of the Act apply to persons between the ages of 18 years and 65 years, except in the case of vocational training, where the Act applies to persons over the minimum school leaving age.