Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners have been issued a fresh compensation update from Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall. MP Kendall spoke about the women, whose retirement plans were thrown into chaos when their pension ages were changed, during a Work and Pensions Committee meeting on Wednesday.
Her comments came after a question from Horsham Lib Dem MP John Milne, who said: “Really appreciate that you’ve taken rapid action on the infected blood scandal and the Horizon scandal to sort out compensation there. WASPI women, however, a noticeable absence of, shall we say, these hang-overs from the last administration.
“I think what people would really like to know is when do you think you can address it… be it next year or, what plans do you have?”
The Secretary of State replied: “I want to respond to this as soon as possible. I know how long this issue has taken, even the Ombudsman took six years to do his report [and then] it wasn’t responded to by the previous government. I know, and I know there are some of the WASPI women here today in the committee, I met the WASPI campaign when I was a shadow Secretary of State, the Pensions Minister has met the campaigners, I think the first minister to do so for six years or longer.
“I want this resolved as quickly as possible but this is, again, extremely complicated, lots of information to go through and we need to get it right, but I want this resolved as soon as possible.”
MP Milne again asked for a “timescale”, but was told: “I can’t give you any more, if I gave you a date then I’d have sorted it. It needs to be sorted, I will do it as soon as humanly possible.”
WASPI women were told at short notice their their State Pension age would increase by more than five years. Campaigners say they are not against the equalisation, but that they “do not accept the unfair way the changes to our pensions were implemented with inadequate or no notice”.
An Ombudsman report issued more than six months ago said WASPI women should be issued compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 each, with Parliament told to “act swiftly” in issuing the money. Despite this, no compensation has yet been paid out.
