Janice R. Andrews
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) will provide its final report on the “injustice caused by the maladministration” of State Pension age adjustments in a few weeks, according to Angela Madden, chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.
Madden underlined how crucial it is that political parties promise “fair and fast compensation” for the 3.8 million WASPI women who will be impacted before the next general election, which may take place this autumn.
The conclusions from phases two and three of the PHSO’s independent investigation, which address injustice and remedies related to the State Pension age adjustments, will be included in the final report.
Interestingly, people can take advantage of the suggestions made by the PHSO to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) without having to be formal members of the WASPI campaign or have filed a complaint with it.
The announcement comes after a parliamentary debate that was started on March 12 by Jim Shannon, a member of the Democratic Union Party, who supported State Pension age adjustment compensation for millions of UK-born women born in the 1950s. During the discussion, some twenty-six MPs argued in favor of the government enacting a compensation scheme that is in line with the PHSO’s upcoming recommendations as soon as possible.
Labour MP Beth Winter emphasized the need for swift compensation measures and cited the PHSO’s prior findings of DWP maladministration.
Ms. Madden acknowledged the importance of all parties pledging to provide equitable remuneration in their election manifestos and conveyed her appreciation for the bipartisan support shown during the debate.
In order to provide “fair and fast compensation” to WASPI women who have been impacted, SNP MP Alan Brown has suggested a new bill. Level five of the PHSO’s scale would be the least compensation level, with level six—the most significant category—considered to be the most appropriate.
MPs and campaigners are calling for fast action to adopt compensation proposals as excitement mounts for the release of the final report. Keep checking back for more details as this story develops.
