title: Historic appointment.
abstract: On 21 April, Ruth Marks will become the first Commissioner for Older People in Wales - one of only a handful of such positions in the world. Wales has a higher proportion of older people than anywhere else in the UK and Ms Marks, whose role is independent of the Assembly Government, is charged with ensuring that the interests of people who are aged 60 and over are 'safeguarded and promoted' More than one in five of Wales' population is aged over 60, and in 20 years' time this group will comprise just under a third while the number of people over 85 will rise by over a third.