Women born in the 1950s who have been affected by changes to their State Pension age could receive an update on compensation plans from the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) next week. Recently, the Prime Minister and DWP boss, Liz Kendall, have indicated an update on the UK Government’s review into the final report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is due ‘in the near future’ and ‘soon’.
This update could potentially be delivered during the scheduled DWP oral questions session in Parliament on Monday, December 16. This parliamentary time slot allows MPs across the House to pose DWP-related questions to the ministerial team and also provides a platform for any statements to be made.
It’s important to highlight that the current discussions are speculative, stemming from recent remarks by senior politicians, the lack of an official reply to an online petition by Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) calling for immediate compensation, a letter from opposition leaders to the Labour Government seeking a compensation update, and the upcoming parliamentary winter recess set to start at the end of next week. Last month, Liz Kendall told the Work and Pensions Committee she intends to tackle the issue of State Pension age compensation for WASPI women “as soon as possible”.
The Secretary of State admitted the PHSO report is “extremely complicated” with “lots of information to go through”, but emphasised that the UK Government “needs to get it right”. In November, Sir Keir Starmer hinted to journalists en route to the G20 summit in Brazil that there could be forthcoming news on a compensation scheme for WASPI women, noting that Liz Kendall would provide an update “in the not too distant future”.
The WASPI campaign has seen considerable public backing, with an online petition amassing over 130,000 signatures demanding the UK Government to “fairly compensate” women born in the 1950s impacted by changes to their State Pension age and to “urgently respond” to the PHSO report’s recommendations, as reported by the Daily Record.
Despite surpassing the necessary 10,000 signatures for a government response 17 days ago, there has been no reply. The petition is now being considered for a parliamentary debate after reaching over 100,000 signatures nine days prior. Furthermore, last week witnessed a joint call from parties such as the SNP, Liberal Democrats, and Greens, along with other Opposition groups, for immediate compensation in a message to Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.
Political figures, including the SNP‘s Stephen Flynn, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, and Green co-leader Carla Denyer, have thrown their support behind the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign’s demands for ‘fair and fast compensation’. The campaigners argue that over three and a half million women born in the 1950s were not adequately informed by the UK Government about significant hikes to their State Pension age.
According to the campaigners, some of the most severely affected women saw their pension age jump by up to six years, leading tens of thousands into poverty. A cross-party letter dispatched on Thursday morning to top government officials urgently requests an update on the WASPI compensation scheme, pressing ministers for a reply before parliament adjourns on December 19.
The letter insists: “We urge you to update Parliament on your progress in responding to the PHSO’s report before the Christmas recess, setting out the likely scope of any compensation scheme and when it will commence.”
It further highlights that since the PHSO’s final report was released in March 2024, over 25,000 women impacted by the pension age revision have passed away. The Ombudsman’s independent probe concluded that the women affected should have been given at least 28 months’ additional personal notice from the DWP regarding the alterations to their State Pension age.
The report highlighted that women not informed about the pension changes missed the chance to revise their retirement plans, resulting in lost opportunities due to delays. It asserts “Parliament must urgently identify a mechanism for providing that appropriate remedy” and suggests compensation around Level four on its scale, equating to £1,000 – £2,950.
The letter to the Chancellor and Work and Pensions Secretary has been signed by:
- Sir Ed Davey MP, Leader, Liberal Democrats
- Stephen Flynn MP, Westminster Leader, Scottish National Party
- Liz Saville Roberts MP, Westminster Leader, Plaid Cymru
- Gavin Robinson MP, Leader, Democratic Unionist Party
- Adrian Ramsay MP and Carla Denyer MP, Co-leaders, Green Party of England and Wales
- Sorcha Eastwood MP, Westminster Spokesperson, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
- Robin Swann MP, Westminster Spokesperson, Ulster Unionist Party
The DWP oral questions session is scheduled to start at 2.30pm on Monday, December 16. You can watch it live on Parliament TV here.
