More than 3.6 million women across Great Britain are estimated to have missed out on State Pension payments due to changes made to the UK Government’s retirement age. Between April 2010 and November 2018, it rose from 60 to 65 for women, and in October 2020 it increased to 66 for both men and women.
In July 2021, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) ruled the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to communicate the age changes to those women with enough urgency, finding it guilty of ‘maladministration’ and is currently investigating the harm caused. However, stage two of the investigation has been delayed due to a legal challenge which means the final publication from the Ombudsman will be delayed while this takes place.
No timescale for publication has been given and is something Labour MP Ruth Cadbury recently asked the DWP about, but received the standard response from Pensions Minister Laura Trott MP “that It would not be appropriate to comment on the investigation while it is ongoing”.
Under section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967, it states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
The update on the PHSO website states: “We had intended to publish our final report by the end of March 2023. With a legal challenge brought against us, we have agreed to look again at part of our stage 2 report. Our final publication will be delayed while this takes place.
“We are confident that we have completed a fair and impartial investigation and, as an independent Ombudsman, our duty is to provide the right outcome for all involved and make sure justice is achieved. We hope this cooperative approach will provide the quickest route to remedy for those affected and reduce the delay to the publication of our final report.”
Recent research from the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign suggests that changes to the State Pension age have had a huge impact on millions of women born in the 1950s. It found that almost half (45%) of the 7,000 WASPI women, who participated in the survey, have struggled to pay household bills over the last six months.
It also found that one in three older women have experienced debt in the last six months, with thousands of pensioners citing not knowing about increases to their State Pension age as a direct cause of their financial hardship.
The survey, commissioned by the WASPI campaign, suggests that close to 30 per cent of affected women had already left work by the time they found out their State Pension age had moved from 60 to 66. A similar proportion (32%) of those asked were unable to find new employment opportunities after leaving the workplace.
By this time many had made life changing decisions, reducing their hours, turning down promotions, or taking early retirement because they believed their State Pension would come in at 60. The WASPI campaign argues that this lack of notice robbed millions of women of the ability to adequately plan for their retirement.
Commenting on the findings, Angela Madden, Chair of the WASPI campaign, said: “We’ve been completely overwhelmed by the response from 1950s-born women to our latest survey, showing the lasting impact of not being informed about State Pension age changes. The devastating impacts on thousands of women could have been avoided had the DWP done their job.
“We’re also saddened by the latest findings from affected women which show this cohort is amongst the worst affected by the cost of living crisis. All their retirement savings have been used and many are desperately awaiting the fast and fair compensation they deserve.”
Ms Madden added: “The damning impact on WASPI women is clearer than ever before and as the Parliamentary Ombudsman reviews it’s investigation into the Department for Work and Pensions, it’s vital they take into account the full diversity of women’s experiences and the irreversible damage that has been caused.”
You can find out more information about the WASPI campaign here.
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