The broad aim of this work is to develop a draft national framework to guide and prioritise the collection of information on ageing and older people for policy and planning purposes. The preparation of this draft framework follows from a workshop Meeting the Needs of the Older Population: the Development of Information Systems for Planning, which was jointly convened by the National Council on Ageing and Older People (NCAOP) and the Department of Health and Children (DoHC) on 22nd February 2006. At the workshop, which was attended by over thirty representatives from organisations working in the areas of policy, service planning, research, advocacy and data collection, it was agreed that a national framework of information about the older population was essential for policy and planning purposes. The workshop discussions ranged over a wide spectrum of issues including priorities in terms of services for older people and the information systems necessary to support them, as well as the operational, legal and technical issues involved in improving existing, and developing new, information sources. Most importantly, it was agreed that a draft document be prepared for discussion at a further workshop at the end of 2006 (and subsequently, the 11th December 2006 has been agreed as the date for the workshop to discuss the draft national framework).