WASPI women given key dates to be in line for up to £10k DWP compensation

Campaigners from Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) have highlighted crucial dates for women who could be due up to £10,000 in DWP compensation, following the push to equalise and then raise the national retirement age. Government legislation in 1995 meant that women could no longer retire at 60 and would have to wait until 65, a threshold which was further increased to 66 for both sexes in 2011.

Millions of women who say they had little or no notification of these delays are now pinning their hopes on the Government setting out a compensation package. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride has pledged to consider an ombudsman's report with "no undue delay".

The report of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said: "Complainants have also told us they doubt DWP’s ability or intent to provide a remedy. Given the scale of the impact of DWP's maladministration and the urgent need for a remedy, we are taking the rare but necessary step of asking Parliament to intervene. We think this will provide the quickest route to remedy for those who have suffered injustice because of DWP’s maladministration."

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WASPI has made it clear that the 3.8 million women affected were born between April 6, 1950, and April 5, 1960, stating they have been "singled out for unfair and unequal treatment" because of the way the increases to the State Pension age have been brought in.

The organisation says its research has found that recommendations to give adequate notification of the changes were ignored. The Turner Commission recommended 15 years notice, while SAGA recommended 10 years. But many women report receiving little or no notice.

WASPI said: "Following the first rise in State Pension age in 1995, some were been hit for a second time when in 2011 further increases to the State Pension age - pushing it up to 66 - were brought in faster than the Coalition had promised."

It pointed out that a one-year difference in people's birthdays can make an almost three-year difference to their State Pension age. Letters were sent out to women born on or after April 6, 1951, to April 5, 1953, 14 years after the 1995 Pensions Act and a large percentage of these women say they only received a letter advising them of the change within a year of their expected retirement age of 60. Many others received only two, three, four or five years' notice, it said.

WASPI said: "It has meant women were given as little as one year’s notice of up to a six-year increase to their State Pension Age, compared to men who received six years’ notice of a one-year rise to their State Pension Age from 65 to 66. Many women claim they have never received any letter notifying them of the changes."

In addition to the ombudsman's report, a State Pension Age (Compensation) private member's bill has been introduced by Alan Brown, SNP MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, to apply pressure for a resolution to the long-running campaign and will get its second reading next month. While the ombudsman recommends compensation of £1,000 and £2,950, Mr Brown suggests "as a minimum, level 5" and "realistically, however, level 6" would be the most appropriate payouts. Level 5 would mean £3,000-£9,950 while level 6 would be the maximum of £10,000 or more

A DWP spokesman said: "We are considering the Ombudsman’s report and will respond in due course, having co-operated fully throughout this investigation. The Government has always been committed to supporting all pensioners in a sustainable way that gives them a dignified retirement whilst also being fair to them and taxpayers.

"The State Pension is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so as we delivered a further 8.5 per cent rise this month, increasing the state pension for 12 million pensioners. This has seen the full rate of the new State Pension rise by £900."

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