Millions of pensioners are owed this money for the DWP’S failings

THE Parliamentary Ombudsman’s long-awaited report into the Government’s handling of increases in women’s state pension age is finally out. It is damning.

It highlights clear failings and indicates that millions of women are owed an apology to acknowledge the impact on their retirement plans. But does not recommend the level of compensation many Waspi women were hoping for.

Of course, an apology would be a start, but will not pay the bills for those plunged into poverty as a result of not knowing their state pension age had been increased, nor will it remedy the distress, anger and anxiety for women born during the 1950s.

Although the report suggests possible redress somewhere between £500 and £3,000, it does not make specific recommendations to cover all Waspi women. And even these levels of blanket compensation would cost taxpayers between around £2billion and £10billion.

These are huge sums and, because he believes the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has not even acknowledged its failings, the ombudsman is handing Parliament the responsibility for what happens next.

Of course, not all Waspi women deserve thousands of pounds of compensation. Even the ombudsman says many women, such as myself, did know about the increase and stayed working. Others had private and public sector pensions they could draw on before their state pension started – but millions had no idea of the delay.

In fact, in 2004, the DWP’S surveys showed that huge numbers of Waspi women had no idea their state pension age would not be 60. Yet still it did not act for several more years. This is a serious failure that caused significant harm to many women.

When I was minister, it seemed I was the only person in the DWP who believed the issue of women’s state pension age needed to be taken seriously and that government failures had caused severe hardship.

Having campaigned against 2011 Coalition Government proposals to further increase women’s state pension age beyond the 1995 measures, I knew there were problems.

I am afraid the Waspi campaigners who hoped for many thousands of pounds for each of the 1950s-born women, are going to be disappointed. Whatever is done, though, needs to happen swiftly, to end this saga.