The WASPI campaign has taken a step forward as ministers have responded to calls for “financial redress” for the women affected by the issue.
WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners are calling for compensation for the millions of 1950s-born women whose retirement plans were throw into disarray when they realised their state pension age would increase from 60 to 65.
Many individual MPs have backed the cause but ultimately the Government has to decide whether or not to grant compensation and at what level.
Among the latest action, 90 MPs from across all three main political parties have backed an early day motion for a debate on setting out a “proper plan” for compensation.
One of the signatories, Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake, also asked in Parliament if Commons leader Lucy Powell would “facilitate a vote on proposals for financial redress contained in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on changes to women’s State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024″.
Ms Powell said in response: “The Ombudsman has established that the DWP did not properly inform the WASPI generation women of the change. The group published a report in March saying the women should get payouts of between £1,000 and £2,950.
“The Government is taking the necessary time to properly review and consider the Ombudsman’s report, given the significance and complexity of the issue.
“Once the Government has outlined its approach, opportunities for the House to debate this matter would be considered in the usual way.”
The campaign made some progress in Parliament during the previous Government, with the Work and Pensions Committee backing calling for the Government to set out compensation plans.
Labour MP Sir Stephen Timms, who is now a DWP minister, said previously when he chaired the committee: “The debate over the impact of the DWP’s failure to communicate increases in the women’s state pension age has dragged on for too long and it is time the Government took action to resolve the issue.
“There is no perfect solution, but there would seem to be broad support for a rules-based system of compensation with a degree of flexibility for cases where women have experienced direct financial loss.”
Previous SNP MP Alan Brown, who lost his seat to Labour at the General Election, also presented a bill to make the Government deliver compensation for the women.
Stating the case for compensation payouts, WASPI campaign chair Angela Madden said: “It’s in the Ombudsman’s report: we didn’t get sufficient information, we weren’t informed correctly of the impact of pensions changes on us.
“The Ombudsman has said we deserve compensation and an apology. That is quite clear.”
The campaigners will be raising their voices again on October 30 on Budget Day, when they will hold a demonstration outside Parliament.
