Waspi women will not receive compensation, UK Government confirms

Women affected by changes to the state pension age will not receive compensation, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has announced.

Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) have advocated for support for women who were born in the 1950s and say they did not get adequate warnings about changes to the state pension.

“The Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5 billion would be fair or proportionate to taxpayers,” Ms Kendall told the Commons.

Maladministration 

Ms Kendall did accept the Ombudsman’s finding of maladministration and has apologised for a 28-month delay in writing to 1950s-born women.

In a statement, she said: “These two facts: that most women knew the state pension age was increasing and that letters aren’t as significant as the Ombudsman says, as well as other reasons, have informed our conclusion that there should be no scheme of financial compensation to 1950s-born women, in response to the Ombudsman’s report.”

‘Fair’

She added: “The alternative put forward in the report is for a flat rate compensation scheme, at level four of the Ombudsman’s scale of injustice, this would provide £1,000 to £2,950 per person at a total cost of £3.5 billion and 10.5 billion.

“Given the vast majority of women knew the state pension age was increasing, the Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5 billion would be fair or proportionate to taxpayers.”