LABOUR GOVERNMENT WILL IGNORE RECOMMENDATION FOR COMPENSATION
SNP MSP Clare Adamson has blasted the Labour Government’s betrayal of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners.
The Labour UK Government confirmed it will ignore the recommendation from the UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to deliver compensation for WASPI women.
3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men. Nine months ago, the PHSO recommended compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 to those affected.
The report, published in March this year, found that thousands of women may have been affected by DWP’s failure to adequately inform them that the state pension age had changed, adding that the result was that “some women lost opportunities to make informed decisions about their finances.”
But Labour’s DWP Secretary Liz Kendall today announced that the UK Government would refuse the recommendation to award between £1,000 and £2,950 to women affected by the change in the state pension age.
In 2017, Anas Sarwar MSP, now leader of Scottish Labour, said that: “Under my leadership, WASPI women will finally receive the justice they deserve.”
In 2018, Jackie Baillie MSP, now deputy leader of Scottish Labour, said: “These pension changes should have been made much more slowly over time, allowing women a chance to make plans for their later retirement. Instead thousands of women have been pushed into poverty, with the Tory Government refusing to listen to their concerns, or act to help them.”
Responding to the announcement, Ms Adamson, SNP MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw said:“Labour promised to deliver justice for the 3.6 million WASPI women affected by the change in state pension age. That was in opposition. Now, in Government, they have betrayed those women.
“MSPs in the Scottish Parliament voted for full compensation for the WASPI women in an SNP led debate earlier this year. Labour abstained.
“For years, Labour politicians promised justice for these women. Anas Sarwar, Jackie Baillie, and many Labour MSPs and MPs campaigned alongside WASPI women calling for fairness. Where are they today? Their party has turned its back on campaigners.
“Since taking office, Labour has cut the universal winter fuel payment, kept the Tories’ abhorrent two child cap, and now it has abandoned the WASPI women.
“The Scottish Government cannot mitigate this decision as it has done with other regressive UK policies; pensions are excluded in the Scotland Act.
“This is not the change that was promised. It is not the change that people voted for. Once again, Westminster fails to serve the interests of the people and this scandal is another in a long line of betrayals that cannot be forgiven.
“The SNP will continue to stand with the millions of women who have been let down by an uncaring system. Labour politicians should join us – but, for all their talk in opposition, I suspect they will fall in line with their bosses in the UK Government.”
PHSO report
BBC - 17 December 2024
Anas Sarwar – 14 October 2017
Anas Sarwar on X: "Under my leadership, WASPI women will finally receive the justice they deserve. Read more here: https://t.co/wQk7qxW6SB" / X
Jackie Baillie – 20 April 2018
Women Against State Pension Inequality – 01 May 2024
Scottish Parliament Official Report
On Mitigation
part 211 re Section 28:
"The power to create new benefits will not extend to pensions as the Smith Commission Report specifically states that all aspects of pensions should remain reserved.
“Similar to discretionary payments, new benefits created under this power cannot be used to simply offset a reduction, suspension or non-payability in a reserved benefit due to an individual's conduct (for example as a result of a sanction because of non-compliance with a work-related requirement)."
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