Millions of women born in the 1950s are bracing for further delays to any WASPI compensation scheme proposed by the UK Government. During a House of Lords oral questions session on Monday, Baroness Sherlock, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), issued an apology amid furious demands over the timescale of any payouts.
The ‘I am sorry’ message came after she was accused of “kicking the can down the road” by Labour peer, Lord Sikka. He said that the final report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) was released on March 21 – but questioned the amount of compensation being planned “to pay to affected women, or to the families of affected women who have died, and on what timescale”. The PHSO report stated that “Parliament must urgently identify a mechanism for providing that appropriate remedy”.
It suggested compensation equivalent to level four on its banding scale, worth between £1,000 and £2,950, the Daily Record reports. According to current Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, an estimated 3.5m women have been impacted by increases to the official retirement age.
In response, Baroness Sherlock said that the issues raised in the PHSO report are “significant and complex”, requiring “serious deliberation” and time. She added: “We need time to review and consider the report alongside the evidence and the views expressed.”
She also highlighted a meeting in September between Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds and representatives from the WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) ” to hear their experiences directly”, which formed part of the ongoing work. Baroness Sherlock added: “Once we have undertaken that work, the Government will be able to outline their approach.”
Lord Sikka then reminded the House that the Ombudsman had found the DWP guilty of ‘maladministration’ and that the report had recommended compensation.
He continued: “Thousands of women have died while awaiting compensation, but all that successive ministers have done is kick the can down the road, saying, ‘We are still consulting’.
“There has already been an inquiry. Can the minister specify the date by which this injustice will actually be addressed and compensation paid? In addition, will she agree to meet another delegation of the affected women?”
Baroness Sherlock expressed understanding of the “human impact felt behind the issues raised in this report” but disagreed with the comments. She said: “I do not think this Government could be accused of kicking the can down the road. The Ombudsman published its report in March, we became the Government only in July and it is now October.
“Although I fully understand that he would like me to articulate a response here, I am sorry that I am not able to do so. However, I assure him that the Minister for Pensions met WASPI representatives recently – the first Minister to do that since 2016.”
The WASPI campaign has disclosed plans to stage a major protest to coincide with the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget in Parliament Square on Wednesday, October 30. The rally, expected to amplify their demands, will likely see Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey address the crowd of campaigners who are fighting for justice over State Pension age changes.
