George Galloway urges DWP boss to meet WASPI women to discuss State Pension age change report

George Galloway has added his voice to the growing number of MPs asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to address the recommendations in the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman's (PHSO) final report published on March 21. The PHSO said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to adequately communicate changes to the State Pension age to women, and those affected are owed compensation.

The Ombudsman has asked Parliament to intervene and “act swiftly” to make sure a compensation scheme is established. It recommended redress equivalent to Level 4 on its compensation banding scale - between £1,000 and £2,950, however, the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign and some MPs are keen to see the highest level awarded (Level six) - which starts at £10,000.

The recently-elected MP for Rochdale wrote to Mel Stride last week, urging him to meet with representatives from the WASPI campaign to discuss the findings of the report. Mr Stride appeared in Parliament on March 25 to address the PHSO publication, but said he could not comment on the findings until the 100-page ‘complex’ document and recommendations had been fully considered.

In a written response, DWP Pensions Minister Paul Maynard MP, said: “In laying the report before Parliament at the end of March, the Ombudsman has brought matters to the attention of this House, and a further update to the House will be provided once the report's findings have been fully considered.”

Mr Maynard gave the same response to Labour MP Stephen Morgan who asked what the DWP’s planned timetable is for responding to the PHSO's final report.

Two prominent figures from the WASPI Campaign will give oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee tomorrow (May 7) on the PHSO report. WASPI Chair Angela Madden and Campaign Director Jane Cowley are expected to share the real-life impact of the report findings with the cross-party group of MPs, chaired by Labour MP, Sir Stephen Timms.

Also due to give evidence in the first session on Tuesday are Chair of the All Party Group on State Pension Inequality for Women, Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Co-Chair, Peter Aldous MP.

The session is scheduled to start at 12.05pm and end at 1pm. This will be followed by oral evidence from the interim Ombudsman at the PHSO, Rebecca Hilsenrath and the Director of Legal and Casework at the PHSO, Karl Bannister - you can watch it live on Parliament TV here.

SNP MP Patricia Gibson also recently confirmed that a debate and vote is scheduled to take place in Parliament on Thursday, May 16. The North Ayrshire and Arran MP presented an Early Day Motion to the Backbench Business Committee last month, hoping that the debate will at least reach an agreement, through a vote, that redress should be made to those women impacted by the changes.

Ms Gibson also confirmed that the debate will take place in the afternoon and urged her followers on social media to ask their MP to attend.

Another SNP MP, Alan Brown, was due to have the second reading of his State Pension Age (Compensation) Bill heard on April 19, but it has been rescheduled to take place on Friday, May 17.