MSPs back calls for full compensation for WASPI women impacted by changes to the State Pension age

MSPs have backed the Scottish Government’s call for “compensation in full” to be paid to women impacted by changes to their State Pension age. In a Holyrood debate on Wednesday, the Scottish Parliament voted by 75 votes to zero, with 52 abstentions, which included Scottish Labour.

The party pushed for an amendment, stating that there “must be clarity on how any compensation scheme would operate”, however, the motion was subsequently defeated by 21 votes to 95, with 11 abstentions. A Conservative amendment, which called on the UK Government to “respond in full” to a report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) and to “pay compensation to those affected”, was rejected by 31 votes to 74, with 21 abstentions.

The Scottish Government’s motion echoes the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign’s calls for “a higher level of compensation to properly reflect the financial harm” that has been suffered. Similar redress campaigns and petitions are also urging the UK Government to provide justice for all women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the official age of retirement.

More than 6,700 people have signed a new online petition calling for a public inquiry to be held into changes made to the State Pension age for women. Petition creator Kay Clarke argues that increases to the State Pension age have left many women in “financial and mental despair” and believes that an inquiry “is necessary to expose the truth”.

The founding member of the WOW (1950s Women of Wales and beyond group has posted the ‘Hold a Public Inquiry into state pension age changes for women’ petition on the petitions-parliament website.

It states: “We request a Public Inquiry into their State Pension age changes for women, which we believe have left many in a state of financial and mental despair. We believe the Government has had little or no consideration of the circumstances, historic inequality, mental health and wellbeing of 1950s women.

“We believe that women affected by these changes were given inadequate notice that they would have to wait in some cases a further six years to receive the State Pension. We believe a Public Inquiry is necessary to expose the truth.”

At 10,000 signatures the petition would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government. At 100,000, it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament - you can view it online here.

SNP MP Patricia Gibson has also 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.

After a six-year investigation, the PHSO published its final report on March 21 which said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to adequately communicate changes to women’s State Pension age, and those affected are owed compensation.

As a result of its findings, the Ombudsman has asked Parliament to intervene and “act swiftly” to make sure a compensation scheme is established.

The PHSO recommended compensation equivalent to Level 4 on its banding scale - between £1,000 and £2,950, however, the WASPI campaign and some MPS, including the SNP’s Alan Brown, are keen to see the highest level of compensation awarded (Level six) - which starts at £10,000.

The second reading of Mr Brown’s State Pension Age (Compensation) Bill is scheduled to be heard in Parliament on Friday, May 17.

Earlier this week, SNP MP Martyn Day asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when people could expect to see a response to the PHSO report.

In a written response on Tuesday, 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.”