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’.
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 crucial to note that this is speculative and based on recent comments made by senior political figures, the absence of a formal response to an online petition by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) demanding an urgent compensation scheme, a letter from Opposition leaders to the Labour Government requesting a compensation update and the impending parliamentary winter recess, which commences at the end of next week. Last month, Liz Kendall informed the Work and Pensions Committee that she will address the issue of State Pension age compensation for WASPI women “as soon as possible”.
The Secretary of State acknowledged the PHSO report is “extremely complicated” and there is “lots of information to go through”, but stressed that the UK Government “needs to get it right”. In November, Sir Keir Starmer informed reporters while on his way to the G20 summit in Brazil that there might soon be news regarding a compensation scheme for WASPI women, mentioning that “in the not too distant future” Liz Kendall would provide an update.
The WASPI campaign has garnered significant public support. More than 130,000 signatures have been left on an online petition urging the UK Government to “fairly compensate” women born in the 1950s affected by alterations to their State Pension age and to “urgently respond” to the PHSO report’s suggestions, reports the Daily Record.
Despite having exceeded the required 10,000 signatures for a government response 17 days ago, none has been forthcoming. The petition is now under consideration for parliamentary debate after crossing the mark nine days earlier. Moreover, last week saw a unified demand for immediate compensation from parties including the SNP, Liberal Democrats, and Greens, alongside other Opposition groups, in a communiqué to Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.
Prominent 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.