During the Government’s response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report on communication of Women's State Pension age, James Wild MP challenged the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on her decision not to pay any level of financial compensation to WASPI women.
This came after the Government announced it accepted that maladministration took place under the former Labour Government in 2004/7.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign seeks compensation for 1950s-born women affected by UK state pension age changes. Founded in 2015, WASPI represents about 3.6 million women who saw their pension age rise from 60 to 66 with inadequate notice. The campaign seeks compensation, up to £10,000 per person, for the financial hardship caused by the government's inadequate communication of these changes.
Speaking in the House of Commons, James Wild MP said:
“When the Secretary of State was in opposition, she said she was a “long-standing supporter” of WASPI women. Given that, what would she say to the WASPI women in my constituency, the 3,300 in her constituency and those across the country who will be disappointed at her rejection of any compensation, even if not at the level the ombudsman recommended?”
Liz Kendall MP replied:
“My party opposed the Conservatives’ decision to accelerate increases in the state pension age, but that is not what the report is about. It is about how those changes were communicated and, at the risk of repeating myself, that is why we have taken this decision.”
