The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been accused of “incompetence” and sending out incorrect information about the State Pension age by Labour’s Andrew Gwynne. The Denton and Reddish MP called for justice for women born in the 1950s who have been affected by changes to their State Pension age.
Mr Gwynne spoke about the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign group during a session of business questions in the House of Commons. He told MPs: “Yesterday I met other 1950s-born women in the pouring rain on Parliament square. The all-party parliamentary group on State Pension inequality for women also took evidence from BackTo60 and CEDAWinLAW. These women are not going away.
“The Leader of the House [Penny Mordaunt] knows that the ombudsman has already found maladministration relating to the 1950s women, but why is the Department for Work and Pensions still sending out letters with incorrect information? I have one here from 12 January 2023, saying that the State Pension age is 60 for a woman and 65 for a man.”
He then called for a debate “in Government time on the incompetence of the Department for Work and Pensions and on how we can get the WASPI women the justice they deserve”.
Penny Mordaunt responded: “This is a complex situation and that different categories of women in that group are affected in different ways.
“DWP questions is a little way off. If he could pass that particular example to my office, I will raise this with the Department. Clearly, if incorrect information is going out, that needs to be rectified swiftly.”
Women expecting to retire at 60 were told they would have to wait longer for their State Pension when changes to the system were accelerated in 2010.
In 2018 the retirement age for women rose to 65, in line with men. From October 6, 2020 the State Pension age increased to 66 for both men and women.
An increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 by 2028, and eventually 68, are currently planned, however, speculation is growing that these planned changes could be brought forward.
A review of State Pension age is currently under way by DWP and is due to be published before the deadline of May 7, 2023.
The Waspi campaign claims the process by which the State Pension age for women was brought into alignment with the age for men has been unfair, and that some people received little or no notice of the changes beforehand.
In July 2021, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) ruled that the DWP failed to communicate the changes with enough urgency, finding it guilty of ‘maladministration’, and is currently investigating the harm caused.
The PHSO is due to release its final report soon. You can read the latest on the ombudsman’s investigation into complaints about communication of changes to women’s State Pension age here.
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