Women rage at delays in pension row
Women who have been told that their retirement age is going up are waiting more than a year to have their complaints heard.
More than 2.5 million women across the UK were given almost no warning that the state pension age was set to rise to 66.
Many face poverty, hardship and the prospect of continuing to work as a result.
The UK Government set up an independent case examiner’s office to deal with complaints about the treatment but it has been overwhelmed since its creation, according to new figures from SNP MP Douglas Chapman.
In 2015, the examiner’s office was dealing with between 1,100 and 1,200 complaints every year.
As of August it had 3,192 live complaints and only managed to close or complete 150 cases last year.
Mr Chapman, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, has one constituent, Vivienne Coats, who is still waiting for a response after filing a complaint in July 2017.
He said: “That Vivienne hasn’t had a response for more than 14 months is completely unacceptable.”
Vivienne, who has to wait an extra five years for her state pension, said: “I am a proud independent woman but I am having to rely on my husband to support me financially.
“I feel like this is all really depressing and disrespectful that the UK Government will not respond to my complaint.”