New State Pension compensation progress update for WASPI women as debate set for next month

Millions of women born in the 1950s affected by changes to their State Pension age could see progress on calls for compensation next month after SNP MP Patricia Gibson presented an Early Day Motion to the Backbench Business Committee on Tuesday. The North Ayrshire and Arran MP is an ardent supporter of WASPI women (Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign) and her motion has been backed by 60 MPs, representing all political parties.

Putting forward her argument on the need for the debate, Ms Gibson said that it would be to agree in principle, that compensation should be paid to all women impacted - not on an actual redress figure at this stage.

She said that following the publication of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) final report on March 21, there has been “no commitment by either the current conservative government or the expected incoming Labour government to commit to even the principle of compensation ”.

Ms Gibson explained that it’s not about redress figures at this stage but about “accepting the findings of the report and how we move on from there”.

She continued: “I think that the House (of Commons) needs to do what has been recommended in the report which is, and I quote “to act swiftly and make sure a compensation scheme is established as we think this will provide women with the quickest remedy”.

Ms Gibson added: “We cannot allow it to be the case that WASPI women have won the battle, but don't get the spoils of war.

“There will be different views across the House as to what that compensation might look like and that's all part of the debate, but I think the principle for compensation has to be established and it has to be established quickly.

“The longer this report goes on unanswered, the more despair is setting in and I would remind the committee that since the campaign for State Pension justice began, 70,000 of the 3.8 million women affected have died and every day more and more of them are dying without seeing justice.”

Interim Chair of the Committee, Bob Blackman MP, suggested that due to the number of MPs keen to take part in the debate, it would be more practical for an afternoon session in the House of Commons in May, after Ms Gibson highlighted that “due to the nature of the debate, a lot of constituents will be asking their MPs to attend”.

You can watch Patricia Gibson put forward her motion on Parliament TV here - it starts at 16:35.

That’s not the only business on State Pension compensation taking place in Parliament this week. On Friday, the State Pension Age (Compensation) Bill - brought before the House in February by SNP MP Alan Brown - will have its second reading on Friday, April 19.

On February 7, the Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP said the “lack of resolution” for the 3.8 million WASPI Women (Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign) is a “disgrace”. Brown used the 10-minute rule procedure in the Commons to introduce the Bill, backed by 12 SNP, Labour and Lib Dem MPs.

He said that a “fair and fast compensation is the simple scheme that the WASPI women are looking for” adding that as a minimum, level five of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) remedy scale should be given - this would be between £3,000 -£9,950.

However, he added: “Level six of the PHSO bandings is the most appropriate - and this Bill could deliver a simple framework.” Level six is considered the most serious by the PHSO and worth £10,000 or more.

No specific time for the reading has been given, but we will update this article when we know more.