Fife MP welcomes WASPI report on Government failings to act
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Peter Grant who represents Glenrothes, has backed his SNP party’s long running campaign for fair pensions for so-called WASPI women for years.
Yesterday, the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman said it will study the impact on around 3.9 million women born in the 1950s who were affected by the accelerated pace of raising the state pension age.
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Hide AdAs a result, many will receive their pension years later than expected.
Mr Grant welcomed the Ombudsman’s findings that the UK Government was too slow to respond once it knew a significant number of women were unaware of the changes to their state pension age which had a significant effect.
The Ombudsman will now go on to look at the impact of these findings on the women affected.
Mr Grant said: "The UK Government has continuously let women down with its bungling of the changes to state pension age.
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Hide Ad“This report confirms the multiple failings and instances of maladministration by the Department for Work and Pensions over a prolonged period of time.
“The UK Government knew what women needed to know, knew that the message wasn’t getting through, and still didn’t do anything differently to ensure women could properly plan for their retirement.”Mr Grant added: "I welcome the progress of the Ombudsman’s investigation and hope that this will bring women born in the 1950s one step closer to justice.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have supported the actions of the DWP, under successive governments dating back to 1995, and the Supreme Court refused the claimants permission to appeal.
“In a move towards gender equality, it was decided more than 25 years ago to make the state pension age the same for men and women.”