WASPI women handed big update over DWP payouts ahead of crunch vote

Angela Madden says three parliamentary committees could help WASPI women in their fight for £2,950 payouts.
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The leader of the WASPI campaign is putting pressure on the new Labour Party government to u-turn after rejecting Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) compensation. Angela Madden says three parliamentary committees could help WASPI women in their fight for £2,950 payouts.

Ms Madden namechecked the Work and Pensions Committee, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) and the Women and Equalities Committee. She explained: "The PACAC committee owns the standard of administration, and this is all about a Government department not upholding the standard of administration. So the PACAC committee has something to say about that."

She said: "The PHSO could choose to come back to the Government on this and make their views more formal on the committees. I don't know if they could do another small inquiry into why the DWP chose not to [carry out its recommendations] in this case, but they should be able to do something."

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SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn wants to introduce the Women’s State Pension age (Ombudsman report and compensation scheme) Bill to the Commons for further consideration. His proposed Bill would require ministers to publish measures to address the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report, which recommended the UK Government pay compensation to women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised so it would be equal with men.

The watchdog said the women should be paid up to £2,950 each, a package with a potential total cost of £10.5 billion to the public purse. Mr Flynn said: “The SNP will bring forward a Bill in the House of Commons next week to ensure Waspi women finally get the financial compensation and justice they are entitled to, after years of being fobbed off by untrustworthy Tory and Labour governments.”

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Mr Flynn said: “Waspi women have been badly let down by the Labour Party, in particular, who have broken yet another election promise by refusing to offer any compensation despite previously saying they would. It’s time to stop the broken promises and finally make good on their word.

“Just this week, every single party in the Scottish Parliament unanimously voted for an SNP government motion demanding the UK government provide compensation to Waspi women.

“I am pleased that the SNP Waspi compensation Bill already has cross-party support from MPs of all the main parties – but, with a supermajority in Parliament, what matters now is how Labour MPs choose to vote.

“Scottish Labour MPs must finally do the right thing and vote for this bill to ensure compensation for Waspi women. Otherwise, voters in Scotland will know that their empty promises are worthless, and they can’t be trusted to stand up for Scotland.”