Thank you for all of those who wrote concerning the Women's State Pension Age (WASPI). This affects countless women born in the 1950s, and it's crucial that we understand the complexities involved and work together to ensure fairness and justice.
Historically, the State Pension age for women was 60, while men could claim it at 65. However, legislative changes introduced from the 1990s onwards have brought about shifts in this landscape, leading to significant repercussions for women who were born in the 1950s.
A main part of this problems comes from the way the changes were implemented and communicated. Many argue that the changes were imposed with little notice and inadequate explanation.
The Backto60 campaign looked to address this issue through a judicial review challenge of the Government’s policy. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, this was unsuccessful at both the High Court in October 2019 and the Court of Appeal in September 2020, and on 30 March 2021, the Supreme Court denied leave to appeal because the claim had not been made within the time period. However, this setback did not deter those advocating for fairness, as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) stepped in to investigate six sample complaints regarding the communication of State Pension age increases to affected women.
The PHSO's investigation process has unfolded over multiple stages:
- Published in July 2021, the report of the first stage found maladministration had taken place in 2005 and 2006 in terms of how the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) provided information to women affected by State Pension age rises.
- The findings of the investigation's second stage found that the maladministration resulted in an injustice being caused, because of the DWP’s communication about National Insurance qualifying years and complaint handing. However, the maladministration in DWP’s communication about State Pension age and about National Insurance qualifying years, and its complaint handling, did not lead to all the injustices claimed.
- The investigation process is still ongoing and the PHSO also said that it aimed to conclude its full investigation within the first three months of 2023, which involves what actions the DWP should take to remedy the injustice found.
In February 2023, the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign launched a judicial review challenge against a particular aspect of the PHSO's stage two report. The campaign claims that the findings were based on an irrational calculator and so was therefore drew an incorrect conclusion. A full explanation of the WAPI campaign’s legal case is provided in a press release about the judicial review challenge, published on the 24th of February 2023.
As a result of this challenge and subsequent talks between the PHSO and the WASPI campaign, a settlement was agreed, where the stage two report would be quashed and the PHSO would reconsider its findings. This has resulted in delays to final publication. In the coming months, I will continue to closely monitor the progress of the PHSO investigation, and any developments related to the Women's State Pension Age issue.
It is worth noting that the PHSO has stated that the report would ensure recommendations are made in how to improve any future communications that involve changes to pensions and how they affect people. I recognise that this journey has faced numerous by challenges and complexities. And I am assured the PHSO is undertaking a fair and impartial investigation, in order to bring about positive change for all those affected. Further, the investigation is a step in the right direction, demonstrating the importance of this situation and the need to address it properly.
For more information on this issue I would recommend visiting the WASPI campaign’s FAQs document and the PHSO page regarding complaints about communication of changes to women’s State Pension age.
Thank you for your all those who contacted me on this issue and for your continued engagement and support.