New WASPI petition demands UK Government action on State Pension age compensation scheme
by Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson, Linda Howard · ChronicleLiveThe Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign (WASPI) has initiated a new online petition, calling on the UK Government to "fairly compensate" women born in the 1950s who have been affected by changes to their State Pension age. The petition also insists that the UK Government "urgently respond" to the recommendations in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's (PHSO) final report by March 21, 2015.
This date will mark one year since the Ombudsman published the findings of its six-year investigation into complaints made against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The report concluded that impacted women born in the 1950s should have received at least 28 months' more individual notice from the DWP about the changes to their State Pension age.
The PHSO also stated that for women who were unaware of the changes, the opportunity that additional notice would have given them to adjust their retirement plans was lost due to delay. The report insisted that "Parliament must urgently identify a mechanism for providing that appropriate remedy" and suggested compensation equivalent to Level four on its banding scale, which is worth between £1,000 and £2,950.
However, despite repeated calls from across the House and campaign groups, there has been no progress on a compensation plan.
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Both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kensall have indicated that an update on a potential compensation plan for WASPI women will be announced "soon" or in the "near future", though no specific date has been provided, according to the Daily Record. The urgency of the situation is underscored by the thousands who have signed an e-petition on the official UK Government website, initiated by WASPI campaign director Jane Cowley last Thursday evening, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The petition, titled 'Introduce a compensation scheme for WASPI women', demands: "We call on the Government to fairly compensate WASPI women affected by the increases to their State Pension age and the associated failings in DWP communications."
It also urges the Government to act swiftly in response to the PHSO report by establishing a compensation scheme by 21 March 2025. Ms Cowley emphasised the importance of the issue, stating: "In March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said 1950s-born women were owed financial redress and an apology due to DWP maladministration."
She further noted that the Ombudsman's findings had received support from the cross-party Work and Pensions Select Committee, hundreds of MPs, and according to polls, 68 per cent of the public.
However, she pointed out that only the Government can rectify this injustice. The petition poignantly concludes by highlighting the dire circumstances of the women impacted by the State Pension age changes, stating: "We have calculated that with one affected woman dying every 13 minutes, there is no time for further delay."
Once the petition garners 10,000 signatures, it will be eligible for a written response from the UK Government. If it amasses 100,000 signatures, the Pensions Committee will consider it for a parliamentary debate.
The complete petition can be accessed on the petitions-parliament website.
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